Republicans held their fourth election in just two weeks on Tuesday to replace the ousted speaker of the US House of Representatives.underscoring the chaos the fragmented party is embroiled in after three previous candidates failed to establish themselves.

Michael Johnsonrepresentative of Louisiana, won an internal party vote, said conference chair Elise Stefanik.

The House of Representatives is paralyzed since the ouster of former leader Kevin McCarthy on October 3following an uprising by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

In an effort to end the crisis, Republicans, with a majority in the lower house, agreed this Tuesday to appoint Tom Emmer, the most moderate of those running for office. After a plenary meeting, he preferred to resign after a few hours.

For example, Congress, probably one of the most powerful in the world, has Since October 3, it is no longer possible to vote on bills.

And this in a tense context: they have until November 17 to agree on a budget if they want to avoid the partial shutdown of the US federal government, which would force hundreds of thousands of workers to stay at home temporarily without pay.

On the international front they have two pending issues.

Without a leader, the House of Representatives cannot agree to President Joe Biden’s request to release more than $100 billion in emergency fundsespecially for military aid to Israel and Ukraine.

“This is probably one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen,” Republican Foreign Relations Committee Leader Michael McCaul told ABC News on Sunday.

“Because if we don’t have a Speaker of the House of Representatives, we can’t govern. And with each passing day, we as a government are effectively shut downhe added.

Everything seems to indicate that Johnson will be hit by the same internal divisions that have prevented the party from uniting around a leader.

Insecurity

Johnson, vice president of the conference but a relative political novice, lost to Emmer early in the day but quickly jumped back into the ring after his leading colleague withdrew.

None of the candidates who participated in Tuesday’s nomination had much leadership experience.

Emmer is a Trump supporter, but some Trumpists consider him disloyal because he voted in favor of certifying Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

According to the American press, only 117 colleagues voted for him in the final round this Tuesday, of which 97 preferred his rival Mike Johnson.

If Johnson were to succeed where his colleagues failed, He would be the least experienced spokesman in more than a century, having never chaired a committee or played a leadership role.

And he could preside over a government shutdown within three weeks unless he can reach a deal on the 2024 budget acceptable to his party with far more experienced negotiators in the White House.

The Republicans have a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, which means that the candidate can only afford to have a maximum of four colleagues turn their backs on him during the vote in the plenary meeting. (JO)