The Marianas become a Spanish colony in 1668 and are purchased from Spain by Germany in 1899. Shortly before that one of the islands, Guam, is obyained by the United States. The islands are administered from German New Guinea since 1906. Due to World War I Japan occupies the islands. They become a League of Nations mandate under Japanese administration in 1920. In World War II the United States occupy the islands and in 1947 they become part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, administred by the United States. In 1978 the Northern Marianas become a commonwealth of the United States: a gubernatorial democracy. The first governor is Carlos S. Camacho of the Democratic Party. He is succeeded in 1982 by Pedro Pangelinan Tenorio of the Republican Party, who is re-elected in 1986. The Trust Territory is dissolved in 1986. In 1990 he is succeeded by his co-partisan Lorenzo I. De Leon Guerrero. The Democrats win the 1994 elections, bringing Froilan Cruz Tenorio to the office. 1998 brings a return to Republican government with Tenorio again and since 2000 with Juan Nekai Babauta as governor. The self-styled Republican and Democratic parties are not affiliated with the United States parties of the same name. Since 2001 the Covenant Party is also active.