资料图:美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素,众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中,美国民主党议员继续抱团,多轮投票中,一票不投麦卡锡,共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折,除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外,与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面,共和党党内反对者认为,麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱,无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府,另一方面,因为共和党的多数优势微弱,党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大,有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外,党内反对者也认为,自己的选票没有换取更多利益,希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步,比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物,众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任,选举几乎没有悬念。然而,麦卡锡此次为当选,不得不做出多个关键让步,其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制,使得众议长的权力被削弱,难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称,麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步,这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下,党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上,美国两党相互拆台,陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内,也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系,相互对抗,选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举,“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈,长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力,其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病,美国所谓的“民主”形象,让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举,变成了政客们利益置换的游戏,进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能,不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
擅建楼层引发邻里纠纷 十年矛盾终达成执行和解******
“问题解决了,我们心也舒服了。”近日,广西融水苗族自治县人民法院执行局成功化解了一起排除妨害案件,使得十年邻里纠纷终达成执行和解,申请执行人韦先生在执行和解书上签字时由衷地发出感叹。
韦先生是广西融水县融水镇某街道38号房屋的所有人,艾先生是与他相邻的39号房屋的所有人。2012年底,艾先生房屋拆旧建新,韦先生认为艾先生新建房屋侵占其房屋楼面空间,双方产生矛盾纠纷。经邻居及相关部门调解无果后,韦先生以艾先生建新房屋未做好防护措施,导致建筑渣土掉落到韦先生房屋瓦面以及新建房屋第四层飘出墙面10厘米侵占韦先生房屋楼面为由,于2015年1月向广西融水苗族自治县人民法院起诉,请求排除妨害。广西融水苗族自治县人民法院经审理后作出民事判决,认定“艾先生房屋第二、三层的墙体均为12墙体,建造到第四层的时候,艾先生将第四层地梁增厚为18厘米,第四层墙体砌成18墙体。艾先生四楼南墙自西向东长达3.78米,砌砖飘出其房屋第三层楼外墙,并侵占到韦先生房屋楼面5至10厘米”事实,并判决艾先生于判决生效日期内自行清除韦先生房屋瓦面上的建筑渣土并修复被损毁的瓦面以及拆除其房屋第四层南墙侵占到韦先生房屋楼面的建筑。该判决生效后,艾先生不服判决,向广西融水苗族自治县人民法院申请再审,广西融水苗族自治县人民法院经审查后认为原判决事实清楚、证据充分、程序合法,于2016年11月作出民事裁定,裁定驳回艾先生的再审申请。后因艾先生未主动履行上述判决,韦先生向法院申请执行,广西融水苗族自治县人民法院已将该案执行完毕。
本以为双方矛盾就此结束,没想到艾先生又顺着第四层的墙面继续加建新楼层,韦先生认为艾先生加建行为也构成侵权,故继续向人民法院起诉。经一审、二审、再审程序审理后,2021年12月,法院最终判定:艾先生自行拆除其房屋第五层南墙飘出侵占到韦先生房屋楼面的建筑及清除其掉落在韦先生房屋瓦面上的建筑垃圾。此时,距离最初双方产生矛盾已经将近十年,艾先生已于2021年6月死亡,其配偶陈女士继承涉案房屋。2022年10月,韦先生向法院申请强制执行,本案进入执行阶段。
为真正达到案结事了,执行法官多次到现场勘察,向邻里居民详细了解情况,并调阅了与该案相关的证据资料。经过仔细勘察研判,负责承办该案的合议庭成员一致认为这起案件有和解的基础,于是执行法官对双方当事人进行耐心细致释法答疑,消除双方的对立和顾虑后,再借助邻居、律师热心参与开导,促使双方最终以陈女士补偿韦先生2万元现金的方式和解,并签署了执行和解协议。至此,持续十年之久的相邻关系纠纷案得以顺利解决,取得了良好的法律效果和社会效果。(何思洁)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)