US: McCarthy elected new speaker of US House of Representatives, targets China in first speech
With this, the political instability going on in America for a few days is expected to end.
Eventually, the opposing Republican Party candidate Kevin McCarthy was elected to the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the US Parliament. He was declared elected in the 15th round of voting. On Saturday, he took over from Nancy Pelosi. In his very first speech, like Pelosi, he also targeted China. He announced that the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party would be discussed in the House.
Kevin McCarthy has been elected the 55th speaker. With this, the political instability going on in America for a few days is expected to end. McCarthy, 57, has been outspoken against China like outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the ruling Democratic Party. Pelosi had traveled to Taiwan despite all the opposition from China. Similarly, McCarthy targeted China in his first speech as soon as he took over as speaker.
Newly elected speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would look into the issue of the country's public debt and discuss the rise of the Chinese Communist Party in China. In his first speech as speaker, McCarthy said he wanted the US to win the economic competition with China. We will solve America's long-term challenges. The House should speak in one voice on the issues of debt and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party.
McCarthy was elected speaker for the 15th time in a historic vote just after midnight on Saturday. McCarthy defeated Hakeem Sekou Jeffries by 212 votes to 216. The Democratic Party lost its majority in the mid-term elections held on November 8. The Democratic Party's seats in the 435-member House of Representatives decreased to 212, while the Republican Party increased to 222 seats. After this, Pelosi had expressed her intention to leave the post of speaker.
Trump was ridiculed for getting 1 vote
Earlier, during the voting held on Thursday, an interesting incident came to the fore, on which the whole House laughed out loud. In the voting, former US President Donald Trump was ridiculed for getting only one vote. The only vote for Trump was given by Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida. Gaetz formally nominated Trump for House Speaker in the 11th round of voting.
Such a situation created in 164 years
For the first time in the 164-year history of the American House, such a situation was created in the election of the speaker that voting had to be held 15 times. For the first time after 1923, multiple polling was held for the election of the Speaker.