Latte stone; national colors: blue, white.
Title | "Gi Talo Gi Halom Tasi" (In the Middle of the Sea) |
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Lyric/music | Jose S. PANGELINAN [Chamoru], David PETER [Carolinian]/Wilhelm GANZHORN |
Date of Independence | none (commonwealth in political union with the US) |
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National holiday | Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978) |
Legal system | the laws of the US apply, except for customs and some aspects of taxation |
International law organization participation | |
Constitution | |
History | Partially effective 9 January 1978 (Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands); fully effective 4 November 1986 (Covenant Agreement) |
Amendments | Proposed by constitutional convention, by public petition, or by the Legislature; ratification of proposed amendments requires approval by voters at the next general election or special election; amendments proposed by constitutional convention or by petition become effective if approved by a majority of voters and at least two-thirds majority of voters in each of two senatorial districts; amendments proposed by the Legislature are effective if approved by majority vote; amended several times, last in 2012 |
Citizenship | |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | President Joseph R. BIDEN Jr. (since 20 January 2021) |
Head of government | Governor Arnold PALACIOS (since 9 January 2023) |
Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate |
Elections/appointments | president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by an Electoral College of 'electors' chosen from each state; president and vice president serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); under the US Constitution, residents of the Northern Mariana Islands do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican party presidential primary elections; governor directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; election last held on 8 November 2022 with a runoff held on 25 November 2022 (next to be held in 2026) |
Election results | 2022: Arnold PALACIOS elected governor in second round; percent of vote in first round - Ralph TORRES (Republican) 38.8%; Arnold PALACIOS (independent) 32.2%, Tina SABLAN (Democrat) 28%; percent of vote - Arnold PALACIOS 54%, Ralph TORRES 46%; David APATANG (independent) elected lieutenant governor 2018: Ralph TORRES elected governor; percent of vote - Ralph TORRES (Republican) 62.2%, Juan BABAUTA (Independent) 37.8%; Arnold PALACIOS elected Lieutenant Governor |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Bicameral Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature consists of: Senate (9 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) House of Representatives (20 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 2-year terms) the Northern Mariana Islands directly elects 1 delegate to the US House of Representatives by simple majority vote to serve a 2-year term |
Elections | CNMI Senate - last held on 8 November 2020 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) CNMI House of Representatives - last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands delegate to the US House of Representatives - last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) |
Election results | CNMI Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 6, independent 3; composition - men 6, women 3, percentage women 33.3% CNMI House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 9, Democrat Party 8, independent 3; composition - men 17, women 3, percentage women 15%; total Commonwealth Legislature percentage women 20.7% Northern Mariana Islands delegate to US House of Representatives - seat won by independent; composition - 1 man |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) (consists of the chief justice and 2 associate justices); US Federal District Court (consists of 1 judge); note - US Federal District Court jurisdiction limited to US federal laws; appeals beyond the CNMI Supreme Court are referred to the US Supreme Court |
Judge selection and term of office | CNMI Supreme Court judges appointed by the governor and confirmed by the CNMI Senate; judges appointed for 8-year terms and another term if directly elected in a popular election; US Federal District Court judges appointed by the US president and confirmed by the US Senate; judges appointed for renewable 10-year terms |
Subordinate courts | Superior Court |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Embassy | None (commonwealth in political union with the US) |
Want to know more about Northern Mariana Islands? Check all different factbooks for Northern Mariana Islands below.