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US House of Representatives votes to oust Speaker McCarthy

The procedure was initiated by a small group of McCarthy's Republican colleagues, led by Matt Gaetz, a representative from Florida
Kevin McCarthy EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW
Kevin McCarthy
© EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW

WASHINGTON, October 4. /TASS/. The House of Representatives of the US Congress voted on Tuesday to remove from the post its Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a member of the Republican Party.

It was the first removal of the House of Representatives speaker in the entire US history. The previous such attempt was held 113 years ago, but it was unsuccessful.

Patrick McHenry, the representative for North Carolina's 10th congressional district, will be the acting speaker until a new one is elected.

The procedure was initiated by a small group of McCarthy’s fellow Republicans, led by Matt Gaetz, a far-right representative of Florida. He submitted a relevant document to his collagues late on Monday.

A total of 216 Congressmen voted in favor of the proposal, while 210 opposed it.

Ideological differences between McCarthy and Gaetz, along with other far-right members of the lower chamber, are seen as the main reason behind the removal. The group of lawmakers led by Gaetz was determined to hold McCarthy accountable for his decision to reach some form of compromise with the Democrats in the US Congress in order to avoid the government shutdown.

McCarthy was elected to the post in January, on 15th attempt. He had to make a number of concessions in an attempt to win the required support.