During the 15th round of voting for the speaker of the US House of Representatives, lawmakers elected Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to this post. Voting took place on the night of January 6-7.
The House of Representatives could not choose a speaker for five days, the longest since 1859. Because of this, the work of this body was paralyzed, because the parliamentarians could not take the oath to elect the speaker.
US House of Representatives elects speaker
Republican Kevin McCarthy was supported by 216 congressmen, Democratic leader Hakim Jeffreys received 212 votes, six Republicans voted as “present”, that is, they abstained.
By procedure, this scheduling is considered to have reduced the number of votes needed for McCarthy, which ensured that he won the race for the Speakership.
Note that the US House of Representatives held 15 votes over four days to elect a speaker. After that, the lower house of the US Congress can return to legislative activity.
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives is the political and parliamentary leader of that body and is effectively the third person in the hierarchy of the political system of the United States.
The House of Representatives elects its Speaker at the commencement of a new Congress in the event of the death, resignation, or dismissal of the previous Speaker.
Previous speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she is leaving office and will not be re-elected as the Democratic leader in the next Congress, a day after the Republicans secured a majority in the lower house of the US Congress.
What preceded this
On Tuesday, GOP leader Kevin McCarth failed to garner enough support to win the Speakership after three rounds of voting.
On Wednesday, GOP leader Kevin McCarth again failed to garner enough support to win the Speakership.
The Republican majority in the US House of Representatives on Thursday surpassed the 100-year “anti-record” of their own party members, having failed 11 attempts to elect the speaker. Voting has been moved to Friday.
McCarthy failed to secure enough votes as early as the first round, marking the first time since 1923 that a candidate was not nominated on the first try.
Greeting Zelensky
President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Kevin McCarthy on his election as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
US support in all areas has been vital to Ukraine's success on the battlefield. We count on your continued support and continued assistance from the United States to advance our common victory,” he tweeted.
