The white smoke did not rise today either House of Representatives: the deputy Jim Jordan from Ohio, a close ally of Donald Trump, failed to be elected speaker of the House in the first round of a crucial vote, plunging the institution into another crisis.

However, Jordan can persist, running again, which means that it is possible that at some point he will be able to get his hands on the coveted gavel of the president.

The House of Representatives, in which the Republicans have a majority, has been experiencing an unprecedented paralysis for two weeks. It no longer has a president, after his historic removal Kevin McCarthy, on October 3. Thus, it cannot exercise many of its powers, such as authorizing support measures for Israel or Ukraine.

The Republicans, although they have a majority in this House, are divided and unable to elect McCarthy’s successor. After much haggling, Jordan, who is close to the party’s most conservative wing, is now the only Republican candidate for the office. But he got only 200 votes, short of 217 needed, after 20 Republicans – mostly moderates who accuse him of extreme positions – voted against him.

The 212 Democratic MPs voted for their leader, Mr Hakeem Jeffries.

Jordan’s party opponents have pointed to a remarkable fact: although he has been elected to Congress since 2006, Jordan has so far failed to pass a single bill he has promoted and is considered one of the least productive members of Congress.

The process can still take several days. After all, it took McCarthy 15 rounds to finally convince his fellow Republicans to vote for him.