“I am not saying it is an easy task, since we have nearly 12 million people unemployed in this country”, he said, according to a CNN translation.
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Rousseff won re-election in 2014 with more than 54 million votes.
Sweeping corruption scandals, the worst economic crisis in decades and the government’s tone-deaf responses to the souring national mood opened Rousseff to withering scorn, leaving her with little support to fend off a power grab by her political rivals.
“They’ve just overthrown the first woman elected president of Brazil, without there being any constitutional justification for this impeachment”.
Rousseff is on trial for breaking fiscal responsibility laws in her management of the federal budget.
Meanwhile, the police, in special equipment, blocked the major thoroughfares of the city and tried to disperse the demonstrators using tear gas and stun.
The Brazilian Senate voted on Wednesday to strip Dilma Rousseff of the presidency by 61 votes in favor to 20 votes against.
Temer, 75, raised his hand and swore to uphold the constitution, drawing loud applause from his conservative supporters at the swearing-in ceremony in a packed Senate chamber. Michel Temer, her vice president, will serve out the remainder of her term through 2018.
In May, Temer took over as interim president after the Senate impeached and suspended Rousseff. Dilma’s supporters believe that a coup has taken place; the opposition – many of which are locked in their own legal proceedings stemming from Car Wash – believe that they’re fighting for the very existence of Brazil’s democracy.
Market analysts said investors would now be looking to Temer to deliver on his promises of fiscal reforms.
Rousseff’s lawyer, Jose Eduardo Cardozo, also said the former president would appeal her impeachment.
Rousseff will not go to jail after her conviction.
Rousseff is known for her disdain for dialogue and her impatience with negotiations, and her detractors branded her arrogant. He’s scheduled to present a summary of the six-day trial before voting begins.
While the vote to oust her from office was decisive, a motion to bar her from holding any public office for the next eight years failed. One trader said, Brazil was indeed going through a hard time, but expected improvements as soon as the new presidency was in place. The vote, which exceeded the needed two-thirds majority, meant the veteran leftist leader was immediately removed from office.
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Wednesday’s vote marked the culmination of a contentious impeachment process that has dragged on for months. He is expected to decide later Wednesday on the petition to treat the two issues as separate votes.
