Republican Mike Johnson was confirmed as president of the US House of Representatives on Friday. Johnson prevailed in the constituent session of the larger US parliamentary chamber with a razor-thin majority of 218 to 215 votes. The election on the first attempt was only successful because two Republicans subsequently corrected their initial negative votes.
The Republicans only have a narrow majority of 219 votes to 215 in the House of Representatives. Johnson ultimately received 218 votes, which is exactly the required absolute majority of the 435 MPs. The Speaker of Parliament was thus spared a humiliating procedure that his predecessor Kevin McCarthy had to undergo two years ago. At the time, the Republican leader needed fifteen rounds of voting to achieve the required majority.
Johnson followed McCarthy after ‘coup’
Johnson was promoted to the most powerful post in the US parliament in October 2023 after radical Republicans ousted his predecessor Kevin McCarthy from office. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the number three state in the US, after the US President and his Vice President, to preside over the Senate.
The Republicans defended their majority in the House of Representatives in the elections, which were held in early November in parallel with the presidential elections, and also gained the majority in the Senate. Republican Donald Trump, who won the presidential elections against Democrat Kamala Harris, has a lot of political influence in parliament. Trump will be sworn in as president on January 20.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
