Misplaced Pages

Covenant Party
President	Greg Camacho
Founder	Benigno Fitial
Founded	2001 (2001)
Dissolved	2013 (2013)
Split from	Republican Party
Merged into	Republican Party
Ideology	Populism
Political position	Big tent
Colors	Green   White
Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands Political parties Elections

The Covenant Party was a political party in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The party was founded in 2001, splitting from the Republican Party and was dissolved in 2013, with the party merging back into the Republican Party. The party advocated for governmental and financial reform.

History

2001 – 2008

The party was named after the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, Act of Mar. 24, 1976, Pub. L. 94-241, 90 Stat. 263, codified as amended at 48 U.S.C. § 1801 note.

In the 2003 general election, the Covenant Party won nine of eighteen seats. The party mostly made up of members from the Republican Party, but many prominent Democrats would also join the party.

In the 2005 general elections, the Covenant Party increased its position as one of the strongest parties in the Commonwealth when Benigno R. Fitial, the party's gubernatorial candidate, won the election. The Covenant Party won seven of eighteen seats in the commonwealth's House of Representatives and three of nine seats in its Senate.

In the 2007 general election, the Covenant Party won only four of twenty seats in the House of Representatives. The party maintained three seats in senate.

Scandal

In August 2008, Villagomez was indicted on felony charges relating to the misuse of government funds. On April 24, 2009, he was found guilty along with former Commerce Secretary James A. Santos and his wife Joaquina V. Santos (Villagomez's sister) relating to a scheme to defraud the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. through needless purchases of a de-scaling chemical called Rydlyme. Awaiting sentencing on July 28, 2009, Villagomez tendered his resignation on April 24.

2009 – 2013

In December 2010, Governor Benigno Fitial proposed that the Covenant Party merge with the Republican Party. Republican and Covenant Party leaders rejected the proposal, and the Covenant Party contested the 2012 general elections. Governor Benigno Fitial would leave the Covenant Party and rejoin the Republican Party, passing leadership to Eloy Inos. In 2012, the Covenant Party endorsed then-independent Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan whom Benigno Fitial wanted replaced with a Republican in the 2012 elections.

In September 2013, Governor Eloy Inos again tried to merge the Covenant Party with the Republican Party. The party is considered dissolved when Inos departed the party and rejoined the Republican Party in 2013. Many left the party soon after, most moving to the Republican Party, making it a Republican Party absorption of the Covenant Party. On August 19, 2021, during an interview on the 2022 gubernatorial election, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios mentioned that the Republican Party did vote to approve the merger in 2013.

Electoral history

CNMI Gubernatorial elections

Year	Nominees		First Round				Second Round				Result
	Governor	Lieutenant Governor	Votes	Percentage	Placement	±%	Votes	Percentage	Placement	±%
2005	Benigno Repeki Fitial	Timothy Pangelinan Villagomez	3,766	27.95%	1st	N/A	Run-off voting was not implemented yet				Won
2009	Benigno Repeki Fitial	Eulogio "Eloy" Songao Inos	4,892	36.14%	2nd	8.19	6,610	51.44%	1st	N/A	Won

CNMI Delegate election

CNMI Territorial Senate elections

CNMI Territorial House of Representatives elections

CNMI Mayoral elections

References

1. ^ Eugenio, Haidee (March 25, 2011). "10-year-old Covenant Party to field candidates for 2012 midterm polls". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013.
2. Staff, Variety News. "Editorials | What's in a name". Marianas Variety News & Views. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
3. Dandan, Zaldy. "Variations | If you're keeping score". Marianas Variety News & Views. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
4. Sebastian, Stefan (2008-08-12). "Villagomez, 3 others indicted". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 2008-08-19. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
5. "Saipan Tribune". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
6. "Villagomez resigns". Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
7. "Covenant, GOP to merge", Saipan Tribune, 2010-12-10 Archived 2012-03-23 at the Wayback Machine
8. Center, Pacific News (2010-12-12). "CNMI's GOP Cautious About Proposed Merger With Covenant Party". PNC News First. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
9. Eugenio, Haidee (October 27, 2012). "Today's rally brings together Covenants, Dems, independents". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
10. ^ Staff, Variety News. "BREAKING NEWS: Inos, Covenant Party endorse Kilili". Marianas Variety News & Views. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
11. Eugenio, Haidee (September 19, 2013). "Inos, Covenant Party members rejoining GOP". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
12. Eugenio, Haidee (19 September 2013). "Inos, Covenant Party members rejoining GOP". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
13. ^ Erediano, Emmanuel T. "Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios will 'most likely' run for governor with Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang as his running-mate". Marianas Variety News & Views. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
14. "Lee Pan wants to be next Saipan mayor". Saipan Tribune. 2021-04-06. Retrieved 2021-12-19.

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