Pelosi re-elected as leader of House Democrats

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WASHINGTON: Democrat Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday won re-election as minority leader in the US House of Representatives, fending off a strong challenge by a younger lawmaker who called for a change after the party's poor election performance.

"Honored to be elected by my colleagues to serve as Democratic Leader. Let's get to work," the 76-year-old Pelosi said on Twitter, after winning the internal party vote 134 to 63.

Pelosi survived a challenge from congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio to extend her 13-year grip on party control in the chamber.

The seven-term lawmaker Ryan, 43, had drawn support from several Democrats disgruntled by their party's loss in the November 8 presidential election and their failure to gain back many seats in Congress.

Ryan put himself forward as a new-generation leader of a party caucus that stands accused of having forgotten working class voters in middle America, many of whom helped elect anti-establishment billionaire Donald Trump to the White House.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2016