US Election: Republicans hold House of Representatives

(Vatican Radio) As Barack Obama gained a second term as President of the United States his Democratic party failed Tuesday to recapture the majority in the House of Representatives they lost two years ago. But the party did strengthen their hold on the Senate. Analysts are predicting that Obama will face the same divided Congress in 2013 that has undermined efforts to enact his major legislation.

The President also has to deal with continued high unemployment and slow economic growth.

Professor of International Relations at the American University of Rome, James Walton told Lydia O’Kane that with the Republican party keeping control of the House of Representatives, getting legislation through could present problems.

“It’s always very difficult for an American President to get his legislation through and we saw in his first term how Obama had to fight and often lost against the Republican House in the last two years and that will certainly happen again…” Listen