New record: Republican McCarthy again misses presidency in ninth ballot Germany supplies Marder tanks and Patriot system to Ukraine

New record in power struggles in the US Congress: Members of the House of Representatives have not needed so many attempts to elect a new speaker since the 19th century. Republican Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the top job in the House of Representatives on Thursday’s ninth ballot. This means that at least one more attempt is needed. There have not been so many elections since 1859/1860. Republican William Pennington was not elected chairman until the 44th ballot. The procedure took several weeks.

The current power struggle already had a historical dimension. It is the first time in a hundred years that it takes several attempts to fill the top spot. In 1923, it took nine votes to elect a chairman. Even then, the whole thing took several days. It lasted longest in 1855/56 – at which point the parliamentary chamber needed two months for elections and 133 ballots.

Despite further concessions, McCarthy failed to unite his opponents in the party behind him on Thursday. He failed to win over any more Republicans – 20 MPs voted for other candidates and one MP abstained. With a narrow majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives, McCarthy needs nearly every vote in his party to become leader. (sda/dpa)