Now the politicians in the House of Representatives have decided to take a break. They will meet again at two o’clock tonight, Norwegian time. It happens after a few dramatic hours: Republican primary candidate Kevin McCarthy lost all three votes held on Wednesday. The reason was that 20 Republicans voted for the other Republican candidate, Byron Donalds. Donalds was nominated as leader of a group of conservative Republicans on the party’s right wing, who would not vote for McCarthy. The elected representatives in the House of Representatives cannot begin their work until they agree on a new leader. It is the “speaker”, as it is called in the USA, who swears in the congressional politicians. The Speaker of the House of Representatives holds the third most important political position in the United States after the President and Vice President. Key figures: 218 votes The Republicans have won 222 seats in the House of Representatives after the by-elections this autumn. To be elected as leader, a candidate needs the support of more than half of the 435 representatives. This means that a new leader must have a majority. If all politicians vote, it means support from at least 218 representatives. In other words: McCarthy does not get a majority if at least five Republicans vote for another candidate. In the three votes that have been held on Wednesday, McCarthy has been prevented from getting a majority by the politicians in the right wing of the party who have voted for Byron Donalds. Donalds: – Washington is destroyed Byron Donalds spoke to Fox News shortly after the fourth round of voting. The 44-year-old from Florida has been in Congress since 2021, and has, among other things, been critical of the US military support for Ukraine – I think the way forward is very difficult for Kevin. One of the most important things is that Washington is destroyed. You don’t just come here and get power. Leadership is something you have to earn here in Washington, Donalds told Fox News. Byron Donalds, and the Republicans who voted for him, are calling for a rule that would make it possible to oust the House leader at any time by asking for a vote. Donalds says to Fox News: – If the boss of a company does not do a good job, the board can fire him. – Why can’t it be like this in politics? asks Donalds. Donalds tells Fox News that he does not think he will become “speaker”, but adds: – Anything can happen in Washington. Republican Ken Buck of Colorado, who supported McCarthy, tells CNN that McCarthy must either find a way to win or resign, and that he should do so today. Buck says this is the last time he will promise to vote for McCarthy, and that Steve Scalise from Louisiana could be an alternative to McCarthy. Republican favorite Kevin McCarthy on his way into Congress on Wednesday. Photo: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN / Reuters Day of chaos continues After six votes in just over a day, the voting chaos surrounding the election of a new leader of the House of Representatives continues. It is 100 years since it last happened that the politicians had to vote in several rounds to agree on a leader. Neither of the three votes held on Tuesday gave Republican favorite Kevin McCarthy the majority he needed to become leader. Even then he faced opposition from his most conservative party colleagues. After the third defeat, McCarthy told CNN that he had no intention of retiring. The mood was tense during yesterday’s votes in the House of Representatives. Photo: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN / Reuters
ttn-69
Congress politicians are still without a leader – after six voting rounds – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
