McCarthy elected US House speaker on 15th round of voting

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) - Overcoming holdouts from his own ranks, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as speaker of the US House of Representatives on a historic 15th round of voting early Saturday, in what became the longest contest in 164 years.

He fell one vote short on the 14th ballot, but in the 15th and final round the tally was 216-212. The Democrats voted for leader Hakeem Jeffries.

In a tweet after the result, McCarthy said: "I hope one thing is clear after this week: I will never give up. And I will never give up for you, the American people."

Nancy Pelosi, former speaker of the House of Representatives, is expected to hand over the lectern to McCarthy on Monday.