OE


For the first blank, we are looking for a word that, along with widespread, could describe objections - perhaps a word that conveys the intensity of the objections, like vehement or strenuous. Bombastic is probably not a good choice because of its negative connotations; we have no reason to believe that the author of this passage views the objections as high-flown or pretentious. Moribund (in a dying state or stagnant) contradicts the notion that the objections are significant enough that the governor incurred criticism for ignoring them. Vociferous (vocal or clamorous) is the best answer.
The second blank presumably requires a word like unpleasant - that is, a word that will explain the existence of widespread objections. Clearly the laws are not imminent (impending) because they are already in place. Execrable is simply too strong a word; it is difficult to imagine the governor defending his decision by acknowledging that the laws were utterly detestable. Unpalatable is a safer choice, because it simply means unpleasant or disagreeable.