Mitch McConnell becomes new President of the US Senate

Mitch McConnell has been re-elected as Republican leader in the Senate.

This result has brought Mr. McConnell from the current role of minority leader in the Senate to majority leader in the Senate term starting from January 3, 2015 after the Republican Party's victory in the recent midterm election, officially becoming the Speaker of this house of congress.

US Senate President Mitch McConnell. (Source: EPA/VNA)

Senator McConnell, 72, a Kentucky delegate, will control the legislative agenda of the 100-member Senate from January 2015.

In this role, Mr. McConell will work closely with House Speaker John Boehner, who is also the Republican majority leader in the legislature.

Speaking to the press on November 13, Senator McConnell pledged to work for the two Republican and Democratic parties to cooperate in the activities of the new Congress to come up with effective legislative programs.

However, he also criticized President Barack Obama for taking unilateral actions since the midterm elections, a criticism that may have been a reference to the climate agreement that President Obama signed on November 12 with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Meanwhile, Senator Harry Reid was also re-elected as leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate.

Mr Reid, 74, has been the Democratic leader in the Senate since the party won control of the Senate in 2006.

Speaking after his re-election, Mr. Reid pledged not to seek to obstruct Republican legislative programs.

After two years of facing difficulties due to bipartisan disunity in the Senate, Senator Reid affirmed that he will not follow in the footsteps of the Republican Party in his new term.

In a move seen as a sign of that commitment, Senator Reid announced the appointment of Elizabeth Warren, considered a populist reformer, as Strategic Policy Advisor to the Democrats. This is a newly established position aimed at reshaping the party's policy views and priorities.

Democratic reformers see Ms Warren, a former Harvard University professor, as a potential challenger to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the race for the party's nomination for the 2016 presidential election.

According to the results of the midterm congressional election on November 4, the Republican Party won 52/100 Senate seats, 243/435 House seats and 29/50 state governor seats.

This is a feat for the Republican Party since World War II when it won the most seats in both the federal Congress and state governments./.

According to VNA