Wednesday, August 31, 2016

[Bouncr: 3v394] Brazilian Senate Impeaches President Dilma Rousseff, Removing Her

The trial, spurred by a corruption scandal, lasted seven days.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

The Brazilian Senate voted 61-20 Wednesday to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, bringing an end to months-long political turmoil spurred by a corruption scandal.

A second vote today will decide whether or not Rousseff will be able to retain her political rights for the next eight years.

Rousseff has been accused of misappropriating money from national banks to fund social programs without public knowledge. Additionally, her entire political party, the Workers' Party, has been at the center of a multibillion-dollar scandal involving Petrobras, a state-run oil company.

Congress voted on May 12 to send Rousseff to trial. She was immediately suspended from office, and Vice President Michel Temer took her place while she awaited her days in court. Massive nationwide protests ensued.

Rousseff's impeachment trial began on Aug. 23, and was filled with drama and name-calling among senators.

Rousseff testified in court on Aug. 29, saying, "I am not fighting for my term in office, nor out of vanity or for power's sake. I am fighting for democracy."

On the final day of her impeachment trial, Brazilian Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski decided that votes for Rousseff's impeachment and those to withdraw her political rights for eight years would be counted separately.

Then senators, both for and two against Rousseff's impeachment, took the floor.

Senator Ana Amélia, who supports impeachment, said that the trial was proving to the world that there was no coup d'état in Brazil, but rather they were exercising a constitutional process.

Rousseff supporter Lindbergh Farias called the trial "a farse," and said "there wasn't a crime committed by Dilma."

Farias added that even though the impeachment trial will end today, "it will last along decades in history."

Vanessa Grazziotin countered Amélia's point, and appealed to others to vote against Rousseff's impeachment.

"It's not an impeachment trial, but a coup," Grazziotin said. "This Senate is condemning an innocent woman. Let's make justice, voting no."

LINK: Here's Why Brazil's First Female President Has Been Impeached


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