U.S. House Republicans elect new majority leader

Republicans at the U.S. House of Representatives elected on Thursday John Boehner of Ohio as their majority leader, to replace Tom DeLay of Texas who stepped down in September last year.

Boehner defeated Roy Blunt of Missouri, the majority whip, in a 122-109 vote on a second ballot. The third contender for the post, John Shadegg of Arizona, dropped out of the race after finishing last in the first vote.

Blunt, who had been the acting majority leader, remained the Republican whip, the party's third ranking position in the House.

Boehner, an eight-term congressman, served in the House Republican leadership after the party won control of both houses of Congress in 1994, but he was dropped out of the leadership after Republicans lost seats in the 1998 elections.

He had offered himself as a reform candidate to succeed Tom DeLay, who was forced to relinquish the leadership post after being indicted for money-laundering charges concerning campaign funds in his home state of Texas.

DeLay, who had struggled to clear himself of the charges, announced early last month that he would not try to reclaim the majority leader post but had said he would seek re-election in his Houston area district in November this year.

Republicans enjoyed a majority of 232 seats in the House over 203 for Democrats and one independent, but many feared the party might lose some seats in the mid-term elections over a corruption scandal that involved some Republican lawmakers.

Source: Xinhua