In a historic move, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from office by a 216-210 vote, marking the first time a speaker has been ousted in American history. This unprecedented action, forced by a group of hard-right conservatives, has plunged the House and its Republican leadership into turmoil.

The motion to remove McCarthy, brought forward by his chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, united conservative Republican critics of the speaker and many Democrats who believed he was unfit for leadership. The future course of action is uncertain, and there is currently no clear successor to lead the House Republican majority.

This surprising turn of events was ignited by McCarthy’s decision to cooperate with Democrats to prevent a government shutdown, a move that generated growing discontent among some Republicans. An earlier vote, 218-208, allowed the motion to advance, with 11 Republicans breaking ranks.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed a willingness to work with Republicans but refused to provide the votes needed to save McCarthy. He called on GOP members to resolve the House Republican Civil War and announced that Democratic leadership would support the motion to remove the speaker.

During the heated debate, much of the criticism against McCarthy centered on questions about his honesty and his ability to fulfill the promises he made when he assumed the role of speaker in January. McCarthy’s path to securing the gavel in January had been a challenging one, requiring 15 rounds of voting over multiple days, and at present, there is no obvious Republican successor in sight.

Source: with agencies