- Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands
Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic system, whereby the Governor is
head of government , and of a pluriformmulti-party system . TheNorthern Mariana Islands are a commonwealth in political union with theUnited States . Federal funds to the Commonwealth are administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of theU.S. Department of the Interior .Executive power is exercised by the government.Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament. TheJudiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.Local government is carried out through three regionalmayors .The Northern Mariana Islands and the United States reached a Covenant Agreement effective
4 November 1986 . The Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands became effective1 January 1978 .Executive branch
Governor
Benigno Fitial
Covenant Party
January 2006Legislative branch
The
Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 18 members, elected for a two year term in single-seat constituencies. The Senate has 9 members, elected for a two year term in single-seat constituencies. Furthermore the Commonwealth does not have a nonvoting delegate in the US Congress as the other United Statesinsular areas do. Instead, it has an elected official or "resident representative" located in Washington, DC who speaks for the Commonwealth on national issues.Political parties and elections
Judicial branch
Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court; Federal District Court
International organization participation
ESCAP (associate), Interpol (subbureau), SPC
Political culture
Historically, the Northern Mariana Islands have been subject to the colonizing powers of
Spain ,Germany ,Japan , and theUnited States under aUnited Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Agreement. Each power contributed elements that mixed with local indigenous cultures to form the currentpolitical culture of the Northern Mariana Islands.When United States
citizenship was granted in 1986 to people who qualified as descendents of the Northern Marianas, few among the island's native population had been adequately prepared fordemocracy . As a result, politics in the Northern Mariana Islands is often "more a function of family relationships and personal loyalties" where the size of one's extended family is more important than a candidate's personal qualifications. Both scholarly works and the authors of the controversial websiteSaipansucks.com charge that this isnepotism carried out within the trappings of democracy. [http://worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/58992651] [http://www.saipantribune.com/archives/newsstoryarch.aspx?cat=3&newsID=1594&archdte=3/30/1999%2012:00:00%20AM] .ee also
Political party strength in the Northern Mariana Islands External links
* [http://www.chamorro.com/fft/ Food for Thought - Weekly CNMI political commentary by KZMI and KCNM manager Harry Blalock]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.