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The Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, was finally able to secure the necessary votes to be elected speaker. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Hakeem Hefriz, after Ryan Zinke of Montana cast his vote, giving McCarthy the victory he had been waiting for for days.

House Republicans applauded enthusiastically, after nearly 12-and-a-half hours had passed since proceedings began on the fourth day of voting.
US President Joe Biden, who belongs to the Democratic Party, congratulated McCarthy on winning. Republicans have already pledged to open investigations into Biden, his administration and his family's business dealings.
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected after successfully overcoming a days-long rebellion from a bloc of right-wing conservatives, to finally be able to win the historic fifteenth attempt at voting.

The New York Times stated that McCarthy's victory in office came after 14 defeats and a series of concessions to conservative lawmakers, which would significantly weaken his authority while strengthening their influence over the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

Today, Saturday, Kevin McCarthy pledged to work to achieve a strong economy for the benefit of American citizens, affirming his commitment to the United States of America as a whole, not just the party or Congress.
 
The elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives said - in his first speech; According to what was reported by the American "CNN" television - that the council will commit to stopping Washington's wasteful spending, reducing the price of groceries, gas prices, cars and homes, and curbing the growing national debt, in addition to reducing the cost of energy for families and creating good-paying jobs.
 
He added that the parliament will work to pass bills to fix the country's inherited problems, starting from the southern borders to energy policies and education problems. A bipartisan commission will also be set up to study how to restore the hundreds of thousands of jobs that went to China so that his country can win that economic competition.
 
McCarthy stressed that the Council will use all its powers to carry out its duties, pledging to represent and defend taxpayers and not to ignore any crisis, stressing the importance of hard work and restoring confidence within the country.
It is noteworthy that Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives after conducting 15 voting rounds.
 
After winning most of the rounds earlier on Friday, McCarthy weathered a shock defeat on the 14th ballot later that evening but finally secured the job in the next round by a narrow majority, just 216 votes, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The newspaper indicated that the vote took place during a session that witnessed a lot of tension, shouting and accusations, but the bitter voting battle, which is the longest since 1859, ended shortly after, when some votes changed in favor of McCarthy, which lowered the threshold necessary to obtain the position and allow him secure it.

The final vote tally was 216-212, with Democrats voting for their leader, Hakeem Jeffries, and six Republicans refusing to vote for McCarthy.

A jubilant McCarthy embraced his leadership team and allies who stood by him throughout this epic days. Cheers broke out in the House of Representatives, as family members watched the voting process unfold. McCarthy climbed to the speaker's rostrum, raised the gavel and struck it with two heavy blows. "That was easy, wasn't it?" he joked.

McCarthy continued, "My father always said to me, It's not how you start that matters, but how you end."

The American newspaper “The Hill” considered that the failure of Republican Kevin McCarthy to secure the position of Speaker of the US House of Representatives until after 14 votes, representing another serious blow to the political influence of Donald Trump, the former US president, as Republicans opposed to McCarthy’s presidency ignored his pleas to support him to obtain a position.
 
The newspaper considered it the latest sign that Trump's iron grip on his party is weakening, a fact that raises questions about his bid for the 2024 presidential election while giving his rivals more confidence in their ability to defeat him in the primaries.
 
Conservative Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) said on the House floor Wednesday that Trump needs to tell McCarthy to drop out of the contest, while Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said he was “sad” that the former president endorsed McCarthy.

  Source: Agencies - and news sites