CEC certifies Cabael, bringing candidate total to 73

Commonwealth Election Commission executive director Kayla Magofna said Alfredo Cabael’s petition for candidacy was approved by the CEC board Tuesday, Aug. 11, bringing the number of certified candidates for the 2026 general elections to 73 out of 75 who filed.

Cabael, a Republican candidate for the House of Representatives in Precinct 1, was initially excluded from the 72 candidates unanimously certified by the commission last Monday, Aug. 10, as election officials needed additional time to review his candidacy package.

“We were able to review his candidate package, and he has met all the qualifications to be a candidate for the 2026 general election,” Magofna told Marianas Press.

Asked whether there had been a specific question concerning Cabael’s eligibility, Magofna said there was none.

“There was no question mark. It was just we needed more time to verify if he did meet all the qualifications,” she said.

The commission convened an emergency meeting at 10am last Tuesday to certify Cabael.

“Yes, it's 73 candidates that have been certified out of the 75 that have filed their candidacy packages,” Magofna said.

That leaves two candidates whose petitions have not been certified: Saipan mayoral candidate Luis Sablan and Northern Islands mayoral candidate Keli Tenorio.

As previously reported by Marianas Press, Sablan’s petition was not certified after he failed to obtain the required number of valid signatures for his candidacy. Magofna said Tuesday that she did not speak directly with Sablan, but that the commission notified him by email.

Tenorio was likewise notified by email, but her candidacy must now go through an administrative process after a challenge was filed questioning her residency.

“The challenge was brought in and it was questioning her residency. So now we're going to give that opportunity to Ms. Tenorio to come in to present her case, you know, to answer to the challenge,” Magofna said.

Magofna said the Commonwealth residency requirement is 120 days and that the residency cutoff date was July 6.

As of Tuesday’s interview, Magofna said neither Tenorio nor representatives of the CNMI Republican Party had contacted the commission regarding the challenge.