The Brazilian Senate has begun the impeachment trial of suspended president, Dilma Rousseff.
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Impeachment supporters believe a final vote – which is expected to be passed by the necessary two-thirds majority of the 81 senators on Tuesday or Wednesday – will provide catharsis and allow Temer’s administration to plot a new course for the nation.
Rousseff and her backers say impeachment is a “coup” by corrupt opposition lawmakers meant to derail investigations into into billions of dollars in kickbacks at the state oil company.
The Senate voted in May to impeach and suspend her for up to 180 days while the trial could be prepared.
If confirmed as president, Temer would face a daunting task: steering Latin America’s largest economy out of recession and plugging a budget deficit that has topped 10 percent of gross domestic product.
Since he took over the temporary job with Rousseff’s suspension in May, Temer has installed a new center-right cabinet with a market-friendly message that has won plaudits from investors.
Her supporters point out Rousseff has never been suspected of corruption, while numerous lawmakers preparing to impeach her face serious charges of bribery or graft.
Allies, including former economy minister Nelson Barbosa, will argue that the budgetary maneuvers were common practice in previous governments and had never been considered illegal.
“I committed no crime”. She said late Wednesday that she’d resist “with the same force that I fought against the military dictatorship”.
However, there appeared to be little Rousseff could say to save her presidency.
Brazil’s impeachment battle is set to reach a dramatic climax this week as the country’s first female president, Dilma Rousseff, makes a last stand before a hostile and corruption-plagued Senate.
The friendly spirit of the Rio Olympic Games faded and tension returned as the emotionally charged affair neared its climax, with Rousseff facing removal from office within days.
Chief justice Ricardo Lewandowski declared the trial open and later briefly suspended it as senators yelled at each other while debating procedural matters. “Although she went down the polls at some point in past, now she has reinvigorated herself”.
The letter also highlighted the attacks of the interim Michel Temer government on human rights, diversity and culture.
Rousseff’s rivals blame her for economic chaos and are out to crush her Workers’ Party (PT).
She will reportedly be accompanied by her political mentor, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“She will appeal to undecided senators to respect democracy and stop the coup that is under way”, a spokesman for Rousseff told Reuters.
“If we continue this way, we will have to cancel the president’s testimony scheduled for next Monday”, he said.
Since then Rousseff has recovered some of her standing after leading a noisy campaign in her defence, recruiting support worldwide and galvanising left-wing backing in Brazil.
Inside the chamber, many senators can barely disguise their eagerness to finish Rousseff off.
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For her anti-government activism, she had been arrested, tortured and jailed for three years in the early 70s. While she isn’t accused directly of profiting, Rousseff was the chairwoman of the state oil company during numerous years of the alleged corruption.
