History
The modern legislature was created under Secretarial Order No. 2989 by federal Interior Secretary Thomas S. Kleppe effective April 1, 1976, replacing the less autonomous Mariana Islands District Legislature. The cabinet-level order reorganized local government in the commonwealth to reflect its greater self-government, which had established a political union with the United States in the previous year under a public plebiscite.
The Commonwealth was officially established in January 1978, and as the constitution prescribed, the first House of Representatives had 14 members (12 from Saipan). Over the years, as permitted by the constitution, House membership was increased to 20 (18 from Saipan) beginning with the 16th Legislature in 2008.
The Northern Mariana Islands' election calendar is quite unique in that general elections are held in odd-numbered years. Until the recent 2008 election of the first ever non-voting delegate to the U.S. Congress, there was no election at all in November of even-numbered years like everywhere else in the United States.
| Parties | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| House | Senate | |
| Republican Party | 12 | — |
| Covenant Party | 4 | 1 |
| Independent | 3 | 2 |
| Democratic Party | 1 | — |
| Not up for election | — | 6 |
| Total | 20 | 9 |
| Source: Marianas Variety | ||
Read more about this topic: Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature
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