Congressional committee votes to impeach Rousseff
A 65-member congressional committee voted 38 to 27 to recommend the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. The committee dealt a blow to Rousseff's hopes of staving off impeachment, claiming that she manipulated government accounts to hide a growing deficit. A full vote will take place in Brazil's lower house on 17-18 April to decide the ultimate fate of the embattled president.
Dilma Rousseff is the first woman to be elected President of Brazil. She came to power in 2011. Rousseff first came to prominence as the protege of Brazil's beloved former president Lula. Nicknamed "Iron Lady", Rousseff won her re-election in a tight runoff last year. Despite the re-election, her popularity has slumped amid a corruption scandal involving the state-owned oil giant, Petrobras.
A bid to impeach Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was launched in the country's lower house of Congress, by the Speaker Eduardo Cunha. The speaker said that the process is based on 'allegations that Ms Rousseff broke the law in managing last year's budget'. Rousseff said that the arguments against her are "unfounded and inconsistent and that she has not committed any wrongful acts."
If the impeachment process becomes successful, Ms Rousseff would be the first Brazilian President to be impeached since Fernando Collor in 1992.
A special commission composed of lawmakers will be created that will look at the accusations and hear the President's defense. The special commission will have lawmakers from all the parties represented in the lower house. After receiving Rousseff's defense, they will make a decision to accept or reject the accusations. Their findings will then be put to vote in the lower house.
The motion moved in the lower house of Congress claimed that Rousseff was guilty of fiscal wrongdoing because she manipulated government accounts to the tune of 2.5 billion reais ($668 million).
Thousands of protesters gathered at various locations in Brazil, demanding that Congress impeach President Dilma Rousseff over corruption and mismanagement of the economy. In Brasilia, protesters burned effigies representing Rousseff and her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Sao Paulo saw the largest gathering of protesters, with over 40,000 people holding banners and placards demanding her impeachment.
Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal officially notified President Dilma Rousseff regarding investigations over irregularities during her 2014 campaign for a second term. The complaint launched last year by the main opposition PSDB party accuses Rousseff of assorted illegal practices during the 2014 contest. The electoral court said that, once the official notification is made, Rousseff will have seven days to present her defense.
Brazilian police have ordered the arrest of the political marketing experts who helped President Dilma Rousseff win two elections. Police accused Joao Santana and Monica Moura of receiving $3 million in illicit funds from offshore companies. Santana and Moura have been in the Dominican Republic, working on the re-election campaign of President Danilo Medina and said they were willing to co-operate with all investigations.
Huge crowds took to the streets across Brazil calling for President Dilma Rousseff's resignation over allegations of corruption. The demonstrations were peaceful, with tens of thousands wearing the national colours of yellow and green and holding banners that read "Dilma out" and "Stop with corruption". In Sao Paulo, large inflatable dolls of President Rousseff wearing a sash saying "impeachment" were paraded on the streets.
The Brazilian bar association piled pressure on President Dilma Rousseff, saying it will file a new request on 29 March to Congress for her impeachment. Lawmakers have launched a congressional committee charged with deciding whether to bring a motion to impeach Rousseff over corruption allegations. However, the embattled Rousseff ruled out stepping down, despite mass protests and the impeachment proceedings in Congress.
A 65-member congressional committee voted 38 to 27 to recommend the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. The committee dealt a blow to Rousseff's hopes of staving off impeachment, claiming that she manipulated government accounts to hide a growing deficit. A full vote will take place in Brazil's lower house on 17-18 April to decide the ultimate fate of the embattled president.
