The US Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections, dealing a serious blow to President Donald Trump.
Taking control of the lower chamber of Congress for the first time in eight years will enable Democrats to thwart the president’s agenda.
But Mr Trump’s Republicans have retained control of the US Senate.
Tuesday’s vote was seen as a referendum on a polarising president, even though he is not up for re-election till 2020.
The Democrats can now launch investigations into Mr Trump’s administration and business affairs, from tax returns to potential conflicts of interest, while blocking his legislative agenda.
Americans voted for all 435 seats in the House, and female candidates stole the spotlight in an election cycle that had been billed as the Year of the Woman.
New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is projected to have become the youngest woman ever elected to the US House at 29 years old.
Democrats Ilhan OImar and Rashida Tlaib are also expected to make history in Minnesota and Michigan respectively as the first Muslim women elected to Congress.
Republicans have retained control of the upper chamber of Congress, where they currently hold a slim 51-49 majority.
Republican businessman Mike Braun ousted first-term incumbent Joe Donnelly, a moderate Democrat in Indiana.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Mr Trump had “closed the deal” for Mr Braun after appearing alongside him at a rally on Monday night.
In Texas, Republican Ted Cruz Cruz beat his challenger, Democratic rising star Beto O’Rourke.
And in North Dakota, Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp was ousted by her Republican challenger.
Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Bob Menendez held on after tough campaigns in West Virginia and New Jersey respectively, but it was cold comfort.
Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, has won election to US Senate from Utah, as expected.
Democrats were always facing an uphill battle in the Senate this year because they were defending 26 seats, while just nine Republican seats were up for grabs.
BBC
