At the same time, Presiding Judge Robert C. Naraja encouraged the Commonwealth Election Commission “to follow the proper procedures as outlined in the Northern Mariana Islands Election Law, including the recently enacted [Public Laws 16-38 and 16-43] to avoid future elections contests.”
Naraja said the plaintiffs “failed to show that the results of the election were affected by: (1) improperly counted ballots…; (2) the failure to use ‘local ballots’…; or (3) any error in the counting of the undervotes.”
Naraja said “having failed to demonstrate actual prejudice…, plaintiffs have failed to state a sufficient cause of action, and accordingly, the court must dismiss this election contest.”
Teresita Apatang Santos, who won a House seat, and the two winners in the Rota senatorial race, Jovita Maratita Taimanao and Juan Manglona Ayuyu, were sued by Ross Hugh Songao Manglona, who ran against Santos.
In the Rota mayoral race, winning candidate Melchor Atalig Mendiola was sued by Rep. Victor Borja Hocog.
All these candidates ran as independents.
Attorney Robert T. Torres issued a statement on behalf of his client, Mendiola, saying the mayor-elect “is pleased to close this matter and he looks forward to working for the betterment of the people of Rota and the CNMI.”
Torres added, “While we respect the contestants’ rights to bring a challenge, we appreciate the court’s serious attention to the issues and the questions presented. We are humbled by the confirmation of the election results and look forward to meeting the challenges that lay ahead.”
In dismissing the plaintiffs’ complaints, Naraja said the defendants are also awarded costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.
