The speaker of the Northern Marianas House of Representatives, Froilan Tenorio, has stepped down after Eli Cabrera was voted as his replacement.
Within an hour, the acting governor Eloy Inos administered the oath of office to Mr Cabrera, who defeated House minority leader Diego T. Benavente on a vote of 12-7.
Mr Tenorio said it was his idea to step down, and this has been no secret since early 2010.
