Status: 05.01.2023 7:50 p.m
Republican McCarthy also failed in the seventh ballot for the presidency of the US House of Representatives. Internal party opponents let him run up again. Now there is an eighth election.
Republican Kevin McCarthy’s series of defeats continues. He also failed in the seventh attempt to be elected chairman of the House of Representatives. This resulted from the result of the oral vote, which still had to be formally confirmed by the head of the session in the Parliament Chamber.
The 57-year-old had again made major concessions to his party opponents before the renewed attempt – but they continued to refuse to follow him. McCarthy did not get the required number of votes in the previous round of voting on Tuesday and Wednesday. This time, too, the situation did not improve for him one bit.
Republicans now control the US House of Representatives with 222 seats. 218 votes are required for a majority in the election of the “speaker”.
Blockade of right-wing hardliners
Again, the Republicans nominated an opposing candidate – again the Republican representative Byron Donalds. He received 19 votes. Republican Matt Gaetz even voted for ex-President Donald Trump, who is not a member of parliament, in the oral vote.
With Republicans holding a slim 222-seat majority in the House of Commons, McCarthy needs almost every vote in his party to get himself elected leader. The reason for the resistance from within their own ranks: Many right-wing MPs from the camp of ex-President Donald Trump reject McCarthy as too moderate. An appeal by Trump on Wednesday to vote for McCarthy fell flat.