Republican Kevin McCarthy He was removed as leader on Tuesday US House of Representatives following a petition against him filed by a member of his own party in retaliation for concessions made to Democrats.

The resolution introduced Monday by ultraconservative Matt Gaetz was approved by 216 votes for and 210 againstmaking history as this is the first time a movement of this type has come forward.

McCarthy will be replaced on an interim basis by fellow Republican Patrick McHenry, representative of North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District.

Gaetz, who had opposed McCarthy’s leadership from the outset, had been threatening for months activate the process to remove it from position and that threat intensified over the weekend after McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to advance legislation that extended the administration’s funding for 45 days on key issues and thus avoided a government shutdown.

While McCarthy said Tuesday he was confident he had enough support to continue leading, he was out of luck when Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries He instructed members of his faction to vote for his recall..

After last November’s midterm elections, conservatives held 221 seats in that chamber and Democrats 212. The proposal had to be approved by a simple majority of votes.

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Gaetz is a member of the Freedom Caucus, the wing of the Republican Party most sympathetic to former President Donald Trump (2017-2021).

Activate a vote of censure it was only required that the legislator promote it, whether Democrat or Republican, and that the vote reached a simple majority. Since there are two vacancies in the House of Representatives, this figure was 217 votes.

Only two other House Speakers in the last century have filed a petition against them. both without success: Against fellow Republicans Joseph Cannon in 1910 and John Boehner in 2015.

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It was not put to a vote that last time, but its submission prompted Boehner’s resignation several months later.

The rules of the House of Representatives establish that it is the chairman of the House who is obliged to draw up a list of his possible deputies in the event of his position being declared vacant. This list has been made public only if such a situation is met and the selected person will act on an interim basis until a new leader is elected. (EFE)