Fitial re-registers as a voter

Former governor Benigno R. Fitial re-registers as a voter before Commonwealth Election Commission executive director Julita Villagomez yesterday morning. Fitial’s name was previously removed from the CEC list of voters because of his 2015 conviction. Fitial is throwing his support behind Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres and Senate President Arnold I. Palacios, who filed yesterday their candidacies as governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. (Ferdie de la Torre)

Former governor Benigno R. Fitial re-registered as a voter yesterday morning before the Commonwealth Election Commission and threw his support behind the candidacies of incumbent Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres and Senate President Arnold I. Palacios.

Accompanied by his wife, Josie, Fitial re-registered as a voter of Precinct 3, shortly after Torres and Palacios submitted their petitions for nomination before CEC.

CEC administrative officer Kayla Igitol said Fitial re-registered as a voter because they removed his name from the list before as a result of his previous conviction.

Igitol said Fitial did not vote in the November 2016 election.

The former governor is already cleared to re-register as voter, Igitol said, because he has already served all the terms of his conviction.

In an interview shortly after he re-registered, Fitia said he supports the Torres-Palacios tandem because he is a Republican.

Fitial said there’s a lot of reasons why people should vote Torres-Palacios in the Nov. 6 general election.

“The economy is good. Under this administration, revenues are increasing,” he added.

Fitial said retirees under the Settlement Fund continue to receive their pension.

“And that’s a lot of people who are in that Settlement Fund. Almost 3,000 pensioners. We need to sustain that,” he said.

Fitial predicts Torres-Palacios to win by a landslide over the independent team of former governor Juan N. Babauta and former education commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan.

Fitial pointed out that during the filing of the Republican Party’s candidates yesterday morning, different sectors of the community were well-represented.

“That’s a very good sign. That’s a strong indicator of a good administration,” the former governor said.

In May 2015, Fitial pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office and conspiracy to commit theft of service as part of a plea agreement with the government.

On June 23, 2015, then-Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman imposed a one-year prison sentence on Fitial.

Wiseman ordered Fitial to pay a $6,000 fine, and $2,000 in restitution to the CNMI government. The former governor has already paid the amounts.

Fitial was supposed to start serving his prison term on July 6, 2015, but then-governor Eloy S. Inos commuted the sentence.