By Emmanuel T.Erediano
Variety News Staff

THE NMI Republican Party already has 10 aspirants for the 18 seats in the House of Representatives and two for the three open Senate seats, according to the GOP secretary and spokesman Kimo M. Rosario.
He said Precincts 1, 3 and 4 “are ready to conduct business” as they already have letters of intent from 10 individuals who want to run for the House.
Rosario said he has yet to hear from Precinct 2, which is considered a stronghold of the ruling Covenant Party.
Except for Rep. Candido B. Taman of Precinct 4, Rosario declined to name the other individuals seeking the GOP’s endorsement.
He said there were three individuals who submitted letters of intent in Precinct 1, three in Precinct 3, and Taman in Precinct 4.
Rosario said former Rep. Benjamin A. Sablan and Rep. Stanley T. Torres are vying for the GOP’s Saipan senatorial nomination.
He said the Precinct 4 club on Saturday decided to set an April 13 deadline for the submission of letters of intent.
The party’s board of directors wants all the precinct clubs to set only one deadline for the submission of letters of intent and the selection of House candidates.
The election of the new set of officers for Precinct 4 is still being contested by a group of Republicans who elected officers and chose two House candidates on Jan. 4. However, the party’s board said it never sanctioned that meeting and the decisions made in that gathering.
The Precinct 3 club chaired by Skep Palacios is holding a meeting on Thursday at the residence of Tom Saures on Middle Road in Chalan Laulau.
Rosario said the officers of one of the precinct clubs have asked the GOP board to come up with “tougher criteria” in the selection of candidates.
He said the party’s bylaws do not provide for a detailed and uniform criteria on candidate selection.
It only requires the precinct clubs to select and nominate “professional, qualified and competent individuals” to run as Republican candidates.
“The board leaves absolute discretion to the precinct clubs to make such determination, provided, however, that their decisions are consistent with the CNMI Constitution and other applicable laws governing candidate qualifications — age, residency, and citizenship requirements,” Rosario said.
The party’s leadership, Rosario said, is advising all Republicans that only the GOP board, officers of the central committee and secretaries of precinct clubs are authorized to issue press releases and announcements concerning the party.