US House Speaker Mike Johnson re-elected

According to TASS, Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, was re-elected as Speaker of the US House of Representatives in the first round of voting on January 3 (Washington time).

Johnson, 52, received the support of a majority (218) of House members when the 119th Congress began its work on January 3. Initially, in the first round of voting, Johnson appeared to be out of the running for his seat, facing opposition from two Republican senators as well as all the Democratic senators. However, after brief closed-door consultations, they changed their minds and eventually supported Johnson's candidacy.

American media previously noted that difficulties in Johnson's re-election as Speaker of the House, or his removal from the position, could negatively impact the stance of US President-elect Donald Trump, who had previously declared his full support for Johnson's candidacy.

Trump congratulated Johnson after the vote. "Mike will be a great Speaker of the House, helping the country," the President-elect declared.

The Speaker of the House is the third most important position in the U.S. government hierarchy. Johnson was first elected Speaker of the House in October 2023 after his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, was removed from office.

One of the first tasks of the new Congress will be to ratify the results of the presidential election on January 6th at a joint session between the House of Representatives and the Senate.