SPEAKER Edmund S. Villagomez on Monday formally declared vacant the House seat of the late Rep. Ivan James A. Blanco who passed away on July 23, 2021 at the age of 44.
In his letter to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, Villagomez cited Article II, Section 9 of the CNMI Constitution, which states: “A vacancy in the Legislature shall be filled by special election if one-half or more of the term remains. If less than one-half of the term remains, the governor shall fill the vacancy by appointing the unsuccessful candidate for the office in the last election who received the largest number of votes and is willing to serve, or if no candidate is available, a person qualified for the office from the district represented.”
In his official declaration, the speaker said the untimely passing of Blanco resulted in a vacancy of one of the six House seats representing Precinct 3.
He said based on the date of the passing of Blanco, which was on July 23, 2021, the late Precinct 3 representative, had not served one-half or more of his term in the 22nd House of Representatives.
“Therefore I hereby declare a vacancy in Precinct 3 in the Third Senatorial District of Saipan and Northern Islands and respectfully request that, consistent with Section 9 of Article II of the CNMI Constitution, you call for a special election to fill the vacancy,” Villagomez told the governor.
