The vote is largely symbolic because regardless of the outcome, Brazil’s Congress is set to vote on April 17 on whether to move forward with the impeachment process against Rousseff.
Advertisement
A two-thirds majority in the lower house would send Rousseff’s case to the Senate, which would then have the power to put her on trial and ultimately drive her from office.
The 65-member congressional committee voted 38 to 27 to recommend impeachment over claims she manipulated government accounts to hide a growing deficit.
The latest survey of the 513 deputies in the lower house by Estadao daily on Monday showed 298 in favor, still short of the 342 needed to carry the motion.
If she is removed, Vice-President Michel Temer, a member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party which split from its coalition with Rousseff’s Workers’ Party last month. would take over, although there are also calls for impeachment proceedings to be taken against him.
Temer’s office told Folha newspaper that the vice president, who turned on Rousseff to become an opposition leader, was just practicing “on his cell phone and it was sent by accident”.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff inaugurated an Olympic aquatics stadium here on Friday, insisting her country won’t have any difficulties hosting the event.
But analysts say it will serve as an indicator of how key members of the lower house feel about impeaching the president, and media suggest the committee’s vote could be close.
A barricade was erected along the Esplanade of Ministries in the capital Brasilia to separate opposing protesters that police expect could number as many as 300,000 during the lower house vote.
“The Olympics is a symbol and an example for Brazil, which shows what people can do when they unite for the good of the Brazilian people”.
In response, Brazil’s political affairs minister and Rousseff ally, Ricardo Berzoini, repeated the government’s position that the impeachment effort amounts to a coup and pointed to Temer the driving force behind the attempt.
These are the main stages in the crisis, which comes on top of a deep recession in Latin America’s biggest economy as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in August in Rio de Janeiro.
A Supreme Court justice last week ruled that the speaker of the lower house in Congress must open impeachment proceedings against Temer, who faces the same allegations of breaking fiscal rules as Rousseff.
Dolls of former President Lula wearing prison clothing are a common sight at anti-government protests.
So far, neither camp has enough votes to guarantee a victory, with around 120 deputies thought to be still undecided (or have refused to reveal their intentions), according to press reports. Fifty-three percent of respondents said they would not vote on Lula under any circumstances.
Advertisement
He is accused of money laundering in a case linked to a gargantuan embezzlement and bribery scheme at state oil company Petrobras which has already seen dozens of high ranking politicians and executives snared by prosecutors.
