The Republican Kevin McCarthy failed again this Wednesday, for the fourth, fifth and sixth time, in the election to head the House of Representatives of the US Congress, by continuing without gathering the necessary internal support.
Kevin McCarthy again fell short of the 218 votes needed to become the Republican House Majority Leader, after the far-right continued to block his nomination, supporting alternative candidates within the party.
In three ballots on Tuesday and three more today, the results have been about the same, with the 20 most conservative members of the Republicans declining to support McCarthy.
The Republicans postponed the vote in the lower house of Congress at 8:00 p.m. (01:00 a.m. on Thursday in Lisbon), while the impasse over the election of Kevin McCarthy continues and an attempt is made to find a solution.
Despite having 222 seats in the Lower House of Congress, obtained in the midterm elections last November, the Republican Party cannot agree on the choice of leadership and remains divided.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, has already described the blockade of the election of the new leader of the House of Representatives as “shameful”, due to the internal divisions of the Republicans.
“We are the largest country in the world. How could this happen? We have already had many problems with attacks on our institutions,” the US head of state recalled today, quoted by CNN, adding that “obviously” he is concerned about blocking in the Chamber.
In an unprecedented situation in the last 100 years of American democracy, Kevin McCarthy’s candidacy for the leadership of the Republican caucus in the lower house of Congress does not appear to be successful, with dozens of congressmen diverting their votes to internal rival candidates, Andy Biggs. and Jim Jordan.
A sector of ultra-conservative Republicans, close to former President Donald Trump, refuses to support McCarthy’s candidacy for the leadership of the House of Representatives, alleging that this congressman does not represent the genuine values of the party.
This wing also criticized McCarthy for not having negotiated with them a reform of the rules of debate or the names to lead the parliamentary committees in the new legislature.
McCarthy, a California legislator and leader of the Republican ranks since 2014, had already announced that he did not have the necessary 218 votes and that there would be “a battle in the chamber.”
However, after Donald Trump this morning appealed to vote for McCarthy, after a conversation with this congressman, it was expected that today’s initial vote would bring a clarification of leadership and a final election of the leader of the Republican caucus.
By regulation of Congress, the chamber will continue to meet until a candidate obtains the 218 votes necessary for his leadership.
Source: TSF
