After several attempts, Republican Kevin McCarthy is unable to win his party’s majority to become Speaker of the House. Credit: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire / Cliff Owen
politics
Apparently there is no peace in the US House of Representatives. Republican Kevin McCarthy also failed in the sixth ballot. He was just able to avert a seventh without a majority.
The question is how long McCarthy will continue this tragedy and whether he will eventually be able to convince his opponents.
One defeat after the other: Republican Kevin McCarthy simply does not get a majority from his party.Image: AP / Alex Brandon
Apparently he has a chance. At least that’s what USA expert Dominik Tolksdorf from the German newspaper thinks company for foreign policy. “I think McCarthy will still prevail in the end,” he says when asked by Watson. According to him, it has already been shown that none of the radical opponents would have a majority among the Republican MPs. “McCarthy will probably have to make further concessions by credibly assuring the right wing that he takes their concerns seriously,” says Tolksdorf.
For former spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi, the process is progressing far too slowly. “We have to open the house and with the work of the people continue”, prompts her Twitter.
Nancy Pelosi on the election chaos: “Disrespectful and reckless”
Pelosi further reminds that all who serve in the House also share the responsibility of giving dignity to this body. Of their opinion According to Republicans, the cavalier attitude to picking a speaker is reckless, disrespectful and unworthy of this institution.
In order to resolve the chaos, Trump is now trying to “present himself as a kingmaker,” says Tolksdorf. He wanted to show how much influence he still had in the party.
Donald Trump is optimistic about the election chaos
On his Truth Social platform, Trump affirmed that “very good things are happening behind the scenes in the Republican Party.” Intense but wise negotiations are underway between the “great” and “patriotic” people. Trump emphasizes that this “event” will strengthen the party and even more unite it.
Donald Trump is optimistic about the election chaos in the House of Representatives.Image: bild / Truth Social
The USA expert Tolksdorf is surprised that the Republicans are at odds after the perceived election defeat in the midterms and that there are open directional battles. He says:
“Republicans will have to decide in the next few months whether to continue on the extreme course of the past few years or to propose moderate and pragmatic policies.”
Because, according to Tolksdorf, they could attract more moderate Republicans and even swing voters again. At the midterms in November, they were often unwilling to elect candidates with extreme positions.
In the midterms in November 2022, the Republicans failed to achieve great election success.Image: ZUMA Press Wire / Lenin Nolly
After a series of defeats for Republican McCarthy, the power struggle for the highest office in the US Parliament continues. It remains to be seen whether the 57-year-old will manage to unite his opponents in the party behind him.
What options does he have?
McCarthy trapped in voting hell
McCarthy could now possibly try to start negotiations with the Democrats. They could help him win the elections by abstaining in their ranks, for example, because that would reduce the number of votes needed. It would also be possible for a new candidate to be nominated that Republicans could agree on.
But talks with the Democrats about a consensus candidate that they would support would also be conceivable.
However, there is currently no way out.
For McCarthy, the series of defeats is a historic defeat and a public embarrassment. It is the first time in 100 years that an election has required more than one attempt and that a parliamentary group has not elected its candidate to office in the first round.
Joe Biden worried about US image
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden is wondering how this spectacle will affect the rest of the world.
According to him, the hype surrounding the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 has just calmed down a bit. And now the chaos in the House of Representatives follows. “It doesn’t look good,” says Biden. He hopes that a solution will be found soon.
(With material from the dpa)
More than ten months after the start of the Ukraine war, Russia has again intensified its attacks. At the turn of the year, the capital Kyiv came under heavy fire. In the east of the country, the clashes at the front continue. According to their own account, the Ukrainian armed forces have disabled several hundred Russian soldiers in the Donetsk region.
