Only a narrow majority

Republican Johnson remains President of the US House of Representatives

Mike Johnson was only re-elected President of the US House of Representatives by a narrow majority.(Bild: AFP)

Republican Mike Johnson was confirmed in office as President of the US House of Representatives on Friday. Johnson prevailed at the constituent meeting of the larger US House of Representatives with a wafer-thin majority of 218 to 215 votes. The election was only successful at the first attempt because two Republicans subsequently corrected their original negative votes.

The Republicans only have a narrow majority of 219 to 215 votes in the House of Representatives. Johnson ultimately received 218 votes, which corresponds exactly to the required absolute majority of the 435 MPs. The Speaker of the House was thus spared a humiliating procedure that his predecessor Kevin McCarthy had to undergo two years ago. The then Republican leader needed 15 ballots to achieve the required majority.

Johnson followed McCarthy after "coup"
Johnson had moved up to the most powerful post in the US Parliament in October 2023 after radical Republicans drove his predecessor Kevin McCarthy out of office. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the third most powerful person in the US after the US President and his Vice President, who presides over the Senate.

The Republicans defended their majority in the House of Representatives in the election held at the same time as the presidential election in early November and also secured a majority in the Senate. Republican Donald Trump, who won the presidential election against Democrat Kamala Harris, will thus gain a great deal of political influence in parliament. Trump will be sworn in as president on January 20.