Dramatic scenes in the US House of Representatives in the eagerly awaited election of President Putin’s ceasefire – the nightly update without photos

In a dramatic showdown in the US House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy again failed to win election as Speaker of the House of Representatives. On the 14th ballot of the Chaotic Voting Series, McCarthy missed just one vote for victory on Saturday night (local time). But his fiercest opponents made him appear in plenary at the last minute, despite desperate attempts to negotiate.

In the meantime, there was a heated exchange between the two camps of supporters and opponents of McCarthy and near fistfights, as witnessed on live video footage.

After that, one of McCarthy’s confidants initially requested that the hearing be adjourned again, this time until Monday. But at the last minute of that vote, when a majority was actually in favor of an adjournment, large numbers of Republicans changed their minds – and their voting patterns – to avoid an adjournment. As long as voting is still going on, it is possible to change your own voting behaviour.

Shortly before, McCarthy had briefly spoken again in plenary with one of his strongest opponents, MP Matt Gaetz, who abstained on the 14th ballot, sealing McCarthy’s renewed defeat. Observers took turns as a sign that McCarthy could now muster the necessary votes. The Chamber of Congress then began a new vote. Republicans chanted, “One more time.” (sda/dpa)