Republican Kevin McCarthy wins US Speaker’s gavel
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Finally and following tensions and sharp divisions in the US Republican party, Kevin McCarthy has been elected on Saturday as Speaker of the House of Representatives on the 15th round of voting.
On Friday, McCarthy failed to have the required votes to be handed the Speaker’s gavel, thus a state of tension prevailed inside the House of Representatives following a delay.
McCarthy is the first Speaker in a century to require more than one ballot to be elected.
He secured 216 votes out of the needed 218 for winning the position.
US president Joe Biden released a statement congratulating McCarthy on his election as Speaker.
When he was House Minority Leader in 2019, McCarthy voted for a resolution criticizing then-US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria.
McCarthy has often taken a hawkish stance on Syria, tweeting in support of Trump’s airstrikes on the Syrian regime in 2018.