US House of Representatives votes to oust Speaker McCarthy

(Patria) - The US House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a member of the Republican Party, agencies reported.

This was the first ouster of a Speaker of the House in the history of the United States. The previous such attempt was 113 years ago, but it was unsuccessful.
Patrick McHenry, representative for North Carolina's 10th congressional district, will serve as acting speaker until a new one is elected.

The process was initiated by a small group of McCarthy's Republican colleagues, led by Matt Gaetz, a far-right representative from Florida. He submitted a document to his colleagues late on Monday.

A total of 216 congressmen voted for the motion, while 210 opposed it. Ideological differences between McCarthy and Gaetz, along with other far-right members of the lower house, are considered the main reason for the ouster.

The group of lawmakers led by Gaetz was determined to hold McCarthy accountable for his decision to reach some form of compromise with Democrats in the US Congress to avoid a government "shutdown".