Crisis Grows in US House of Representatives Presidential Election

In the 11th round of voting in the lower house of the US Congress, the House of Representatives, no speaker could be elected. Following the midterm elections on November 8, 2022, the presidential elections in the House of Representatives, where Republicans are in the majority and which are expected to start a new legislative session on January 3, were again inconclusive. In the 11th round of voting that took place until the evening hours of the third day, Republican majority leader Kevin McCarthy failed to gain sufficient support to be elected speaker. Since the members of the House of Representatives could not be sworn in due to the failure to elect the speaker, one chamber of Congress has still not been able to start its activities. For this reason, the legislative branch of the federal state, which consists of three main bodies in the US: the legislative, executive and judicial, has come to a standstill. In the current situation, members of parliament are unable to carry out their legislative activities in an emergency or crisis. This is interpreted by the US public as "testing democracy" and "personal political ambitions taking precedence over the interests of the nation". Many members of parliament, who have drawn attention to the fact that this situation is "not good for the country", are calling for a president to be elected as soon as possible. Members of parliament are particularly emphasizing that there may be administrative problems in the country since the committees on foreign relations and security in the House of Representatives are unable to function. Republican member of parliament Mike Gallagher, speaking to CNN television, said that despite being on the Intelligence Committee, House security officers did not allow him to enter a meeting where the Chief of Staff was also present, on the grounds that he "did not yet have permission". On the other hand, many Republican members argue that "the Biden administration remains unchecked" because they have not been able to start their duties because the speaker of the house has not been elected. Republicans are becoming increasingly divided For the first time in the last 100 years, the US House of Representatives has failed to elect a speaker of the house, as the quorum has not been reached in all nine votes held in three days. Despite former US President Trump's calls to "vote for McCarthy", a group of Republican members who are staunch supporters of his continue to vote in the opposite direction. About 20 conservative Republicans have accused McCarthy of being an "establishment man" and do not trust him on issues such as the budget, taxes, border protection and the term of office of representatives in Congress. In the vote held on Tuesday, 203 Republicans voted for MacCarthy and 10 for Andy Biggs. Several Republicans who voted for Byron Donalds in later votes are using their right to vote for Kevin Hern in the last two votes. Voting will continue until the president is elected The speaker of the US House of Representatives is important because he is third in protocol after the president and vice president. The House of Representatives cannot begin to function without electing its speaker. It is expected that the members of parliament will continue to vote until they have the necessary majority to elect a new president. How is the president elected? In the 435-member House of Representatives, Republicans currently hold 222 seats and Democrats 213. However, one Democratic seat was left vacant after the death of Democratic politician Donald McEachin from Virginia on November 28, 2022. McCarthy must receive the votes of half of the House members, 218, to be elected speaker. However, this threshold is valid only if each member of parliament votes for one member. For example, if 6 members of parliament abstain from voting, the votes required for a majority in the current 434-member parliament must be 214, not 218. Who is Republican leader McCarthy? Born in 1965, Kevin McCarthy was first elected as a member of Congress from the Republican Party in 2006. The California politician, who was originally a businessman, had served as the Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives since 2018. McCarthy, a staunch supporter of Trump, had sided with Trump in his objection to the 2020 presidential election results. The Republican politician, who later accepted that the elections were legitimate, also condemned the attack on the Congress building on January 6, 2021. Who is Byron Donalds? Born in 1978, Florida politician Donalds is one of the two black Republican members of the House. A former businessman, Donalds is among the rising stars of the Republican party in recent times. Donalds stands out as an anti-abortion and a staunch individual gun advocate. Who is Kevin Hern? Born in 1961, Oklahoma politician Kevin Hern has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2018. Before entering politics, Hern worked as an aerospace engineer at Rockwell International, and later dealt with trade and held various jobs as a franchise partner for major brands. Hern was expected to be the chairman of the Republican Labor Committee in the new legislative term. Who is Democratic leader Jeffries? After Nancy Pelosi announced that she would not run again for the leadership position she has held for 20 years, New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries became the new leader of the Democrats. Jeffries was the first black person in the history of the U.S. Congress to be elected to a party leadership position in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 4, 1970, Jeffries is a practicing attorney and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2013. Long referred to as "Pelosi's heir apparent," Jeffries served on the House Judiciary and Budget Committees.