1. Benigno Repeki Fitial was born on November 27,1945 and is a Northern Marianan politician who served was the seventh governor of the Northern Mariana Islands.
35 Facts About Benigno Fitial
1. 2.
The second longest-serving governor in CNMI history, Fitial was elected on November 6,2005, assumed office on January 9,2006, and was re-elected to a second term in 2009.
3.
Benigno Fitial was impeached by the CNMI House of Representatives on February 11,2013, and was scheduled to face trial before the CNMI Senate to determine if he should be removed from office.
4.
Benigno Fitial resigned on February 20,2013, after 7 years, 1 month, and 11 days in office.
5.
Benigno Fitial founded the Covenant Party in 2001 after leaving the Republican Party.
6.
Benigno Fitial rejoined the Republican Party on January 5,2011, announcing that his goal would be to merge the Covenant Party back into the Republican Party.
7.
Benigno Fitial was the first governor in any US territory or commonwealth to be impeached and only the 13th governor in the history of the United States.
8.
Benigno Fitial obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis on business management from the University of Guam.
9.
Benigno Fitial is recognized as a University of Guam Distinguished Alumni.
10.
Benigno Fitial is the first elected governor of Carolinian descent in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
11.
Benigno Fitial has described himself in the past as a "good friend" of convicted US lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who caused some controversy in both the Commonwealth and Washington.
12.
Benigno Fitial worked as a budget analyst for the government of the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
13.
Benigno Fitial worked as a former executive for Tan Holdings Corporation, which was the largest garment manufacturer in the Northern Mariana Islands at the time.
14.
Benigno Fitial is a former member of the Republican Party, and served as the chairman of the Republican Party in the CNMI.
15.
Benigno Fitial left the Republican Party, and founded his own political party, the Covenant Party in 2001.
16.
Benigno Fitial used the Covenant Party as a vehicle to run for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in the 2001 gubernatorial election with his running mate, then-Education Commissioner Rita Inos.
17.
However, Fitial was defeated in a landslide by the Republican ticket of Juan N Babauta and his running mate, Diego Benavente.
18.
In 2003, Benigno Fitial was elected to the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives in the 2003 midterm election.
19.
Benigno Fitial was further elected the Speaker by the House in 2003, replacing Republican Speaker Heinz Hofschneider.
20.
Benigno Fitial represented Precinct 3, which includes parts of Saipan and the northern islands.
21.
Benigno Fitial was the seventh governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
22.
Benigno Fitial defeated independent candidate Heinz Hofschneider and incumbent Republican Governor Juan N Babauta during the 2005 gubernatorial election with 28.1 percent of the total vote after absentee ballots were counted.
23.
Benigno Fitial implemented a dress code of business attire for all cabinet members shortly after his inauguration.
24.
Benigno Fitial faced challenges during his first term as governor, including budget shortfalls, a weak economy even before the 2008 financial crisis, declining Japanese tourism, electrical power generation failures, and the long-proposed federalization of CNMI immigration that was eventually enacted.
25.
Some observers and local publications accused Benigno Fitial of concentrating power in his office.
26.
Benigno Fitial was away from office for several weeks in late 2006 when he underwent successful surgery at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on October 31 to correct spinal stenosis.
27.
Governor Benigno Fitial nominated the CNMI Secretary of Finance Eloy Inos to fill the lieutenant governor vacancy on April 27,2009.
28.
Benigno Fitial was working as a budget analyst, while Inos was employed as a tax manager for the Trust Territory's revenue division at the time.
29.
Marianas' Governor Benigno Fitial facing impeachment bid All charges were eventually dismissed.
30.
Governor Benigno Fitial announced in March 2009 that he would seek re-election to a second term in November.
31.
On June 12,2009, Benigno Fitial presided over Covenant Party midterm rally in Susupe with an estimated crowd of approximately 3,000 people in attendance.
32.
In March 2009, Benigno Fitial had publicly stated that he will retire from politics if his re-election bid was unsuccessful.
33.
Benigno Fitial won the runoff by 370 votes and therefore was re-elected.
34.
Benigno Fitial became the first governor in any US insular area and the 13th in the history of the nation to be impeached.
35.
All 18 charges were transmitted to the Senate where Benigno Fitial would have stood trial had he not resigned.