The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress was not elected in the first round of voting due to internal disagreements among Republicans.
The session of the US Congress started today and the first thing on the agenda was the election of the speaker of its lower house, the House of Representatives.
Early favorite, the majority party Republicans Kevin McCarthy did not receive the necessary 218 votes in the first round of voting. Reruns are now organized in the chamber until a candidate gets a simple majority behind them.
The number of votes needed may change depending on how many delegates abstain.
McCarthy, who was planned to be the chairman, missed out on 203 votes in the first round. The minority leader of the Democrats received the most votes Hakeem Jeffriesa total of 212. In addition to this, the Republicans Andy Biggs got ten votes and nine votes went to other candidates.
McCarthy, a career politician, did not get the necessary number of votes due to the internal power struggle of the Republicans. McCarthy does not appeal to all the representatives of the more radical wing of the party, among whom he is considered a middle-of-the-roader who likes everyone, a representative of the so-called “prevailing system”.
Republicans won a narrow 222-212 majority in the House of Representatives in last year’s midterm elections. Because of this, the radical Republicans, despite their small number, have significant power, for example, in the election of the speaker.
In the United States, there has not been a runoff in the election of the speaker for more than a hundred years, and there is no clear schedule from now on. With the new voting rounds starting now, new challengers to McCarthy may also appear from within the party.
The session of the House of Representatives and thus legislative work cannot begin before the election of a new speaker. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is one of the most powerful politicians in the United States, leading the House and usually the majority party from a prominent position.
The upper house of Congress, the Senate, also started its session today. The Democrats have a narrow majority in the Senate with a 51-49 seat split.