McCarthy also fails in the 14th ballot - Chaotic Scenes in the Capitol

Republican Kevin McCarthy has not been elected chairman of the US House of Representatives for the 14th time. In the vote late Friday evening (local time), he ultimately missed a vote. The tensions in his party erupted in chaotic scenes in the Congress Chamber.

In the meantime, there was a heated exchange between the two camps of supporters and opponents of McCarthy and almost fisticuffs, as could be seen on live video recordings. McCarthy rushed to the back of the Congress Chamber to confront Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of his opponents' spokesmen, who was sitting with Lauren Boebert and other critics who accused him of not being conservative enough.

There was an exchange of words, gesticulations ensued, one MP being held back by others while their colleagues witnessed the chaos in disbelief. "Stay civil!" someone shouted. Before the election round, McCarthy had shown himself to be confident. With extensive concessions, he managed to win over several critics within the party after days of a power struggle.

The 14 lost votes are a historic embarrassment for McCarthy. It was the first time in 100 years that the majority party's nominee for the presidency of the House of Representatives was not elected on the first try. And since the American Civil War, no one has had to go through as many ballots as McCarthy does now.

In the twelfth ballot, some of his opponents gave up their resistance for the first time in the four-day vote. Among those who changed their minds was Scott Perry, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, a coalition of ultra-conservative Republicans. "We're at a tipping point," Perry wrote on Twitter after the twelfth vote.

However, the stage victory was bought at a high price. McCarthy had agreed to most of the Freedom Caucus's demands, including that in the future, a single MP should be enough to vote for the impeachment of the chairman. Ordinary MPs should also have more opportunities to influence the drafting and approval of laws.

McCarthy needs almost all of his party colleagues' votes because the Republicans only have a very narrow majority in the House of Representatives. The post of speaker follows in the United States in third place after the president and his vice-president. Since 1923, no "speaker" has required more than one vote. At that time, nine ballots were necessary, a tenth last in 1859.

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