Kevin McCarthy won the role of speaker of the House of Representatives in the US after 15 rounds of voting.
For the first time in more than 100 years, the United States was unable to elect a speaker of the House of Representatives in the first round of voting.
Kevin McCarthy had to make several concessions to win over hardline Republicans, who voted against him in 15 rounds.
The House was unable to move on to any other business, including swearing in members, until the speaker was elected.
The House is the lower chamber of Congress – and one of its important roles is to keep the president in check.
But with a divided party, how will Republicans keep control of the legislative branch in the US?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra
Guests:
Rina Shah – Conservative political adviser and founder of Rilax Strategies
Jason Nichols – Progressive political analyst and senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, College Park
Natasha Lindstaedt – US political analyst and deputy dean of education at the University of Essex
