In the 9th and 10th rounds of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the US Congress, the Speaker of the House was not elected. After the by-elections on November 8, 2022, the presidential elections in the House of Representatives, which are expected to start the new legislative term on January 3, where the Republicans are in the majority, were again inconclusive.
SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FAILED
In the 9th round of voting on the third day of the voting, Republican majority leader Kevin McCarthy did not get enough support to be elected president. McCarthy remained with 200 votes, while 17 Republican MPs, who insisted on not supporting him, voted in favor of Deputy Byron Donalds.
Three Republican lawmakers voted for Kevin Hern this time. Even though he was not an MP in the last two elections, Republican Matt Gaetz, who voted for former US President Donald J. Trump, was among those who voted for Hern. All 212 Democratic members continued to vote for party leader Hakeem Jeffries. Two MPs did not vote for either candidate.
LEGISLATION HAS COME TO A STOPPING POINT
Under US law, deputies in the House of Representatives cannot take the oath before being elected president. For this reason, the legislature of the federal state, which consists of three main organs, namely the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, came to a standstill. The longest election race in the House of Representatives lasted 2 months.
IN AN EMERGENCY OR CRISIS…
Currently, lawmakers are unable to carry out their legislative activities in an emergency or crisis. This is interpreted by the US public as a “test of democracy” and “personal political ambitions come before the interests of the nation”.
Noting that this situation is “not good for the country”, many deputies are calling for the election of the president as soon as possible.
The deputies emphasize that there may be administrative disruptions in the country, especially since the committees on foreign relations and security in the House of Representatives cannot function.
Speaking to CNN, Republican lawmaker Mike Gallagher said that despite being on the Intelligence Committee, House security guards would not allow him to attend a meeting that also included the Chief of Staff, because he was “not yet authorized”.
On the other hand, many Republican lawmakers argue that the “Biden administration is left unchecked” because they could not take office because they could not be elected speaker of the parliament.
REPUBLIC DIVIDES
For the first time in the last 100 years in the US House of Representatives, the speaker of the house cannot be elected because the quorum was not reached in the 9 votes held in three days.
Despite former US President Trump’s calls to “vote for McCarthy”, a group of Republican members who are his strong supporters continue to vote against it.
Some 20 Conservative Republicans, accusing McCarthy of being a “man of the establishment,” do not trust him in matters such as the budget, taxes, border protection, and mandates in Congress.
In Tuesday’s ballot, 203 Republicans voted for MacCarthy and 10 for Andy Biggs.
Few of the Republicans who voted for Byron Donalds in the subsequent ballots have sided with Kevin Hern in the last two ballots.
VOTING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE PRESIDENT IS ELECTED
In the USA, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is important in that he ranks third in the protocol after the head of state and the vice president.
The House of Representatives cannot begin to operate without electing its President. MPs are expected to continue voting until they have the majority needed to elect a new president.
HOW IS THE PRESIDENT ELECTED?
Republicans currently have 222 seats and Democrats 213 seats in the 435-member House of Representatives. However, one of the Democrats’ seats remained vacant after the Democratic politician Donald McEachin, elected from Virginia, passed away on November 28, 2022. In order for McCarthy to be elected president, he must receive the votes of 218 members, half of the House members.
However, this threshold is valid if each deputy votes for one member. For example, if 6 deputies abstain from voting, the vote required for the majority in the parliament, which has 434 deputies, should be 214, not 218. (AA)