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Kevin McCarthy elected US House Speaker

Ending a week of tense showdowns, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has been elected as the Speaker of the US House of Representatives in the early hours of Saturday morning.

 

McCarthy's final ascent to the speaker’s chair comes following 14 unsuccessful rounds of voting, with the final breakthrough coming only in the post-midnight 15th ballot.

 

The 57-year-old Californian managed to secure his speakership bid amidst days of chaos and failed votes. McCarthy's path to the gavel also followed through a path of painstaking negotiations, with repeated concerns rising over the new head's power to effectively govern.

Taking to Twitter after his historic win, Kevin McCarthy said, "I hope one thing is clear after this week: I will never give up. And I will never give up for you, the American people."

Kevin McCarthy succeeded Nancy Pelosi, 82, of the Democratic Party, to be at the helm of the top position. It is pertinent to note that a candidate needs to secure the support of a majority of the House, with McCarthy garnering 216 votes in his favour as opposed to Hakeem Jeffries' 212 votes. It was the first time in a century that a speaker was not elected in the first round.

Further, addressing his first speech in his new role, McCarthy said, "As speaker of the House, my ultimate responsibility is not to my party, my conference, or even our Congress. My responsibility, our responsibility, is to our country."

Reportedly, in his first remarks as speaker, McCarthy also called to address "the rise of the Chinese communist party".

President Joe Biden congratulates Kevin McCarthy

US President Joe Biden extends congratulatory greetings to McCarthy on being elected as Speaker of the House.

In a statement released, President Biden said, "Jill and I congratulate Kevin McCarthy on his election as Speaker of the House. The American people expect their leaders to govern in a way that puts their needs above all else, and that is what we need to do now."

"As I said after the midterms, I am prepared to work with Republicans when i can and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well. Now that the leadership of the House of Representatives has been decided it is time for that process to begin," President Biden added.

However, earlier, President Biden, en-route to Kentucky for an event, had expressed concern over the delay in the elections for the speaker."I just think it's really embarrassing it's taking so long," media reports quoted US President saying.

 

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