Her foes in Congress introduced a measure past year to impeach and remove her.
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Rousseff, who is charged with spending without congressional approval and manipulating government accounts, was suspended in May and Vice President Temer took over office.
The Senate begin its impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff on Thursday. Senators previously voted with a 55-21 supermajority to suspend the president in May and launch the impeachment trial against her.
Brazil’s first female president denies any wrongdoing, pointing out that previous presidents used similar accounting measures.
“I committed no crime”.
The performers, completely covered with mud, participated in the performance entitled “Blind”, in front of the National Congress, where lawmakers on Thursday started the final phase of the impeachment proceedings against Rousseff, who is already temporarily removed from office since May 12. Many have also pointed out that the practice has always been common among Brazil’s past presidents, reinforcing claims that the impeachment process has been a thinly-veiled power grab by the country’s conservative elite to revive neoliberal politics. “To judge the president, (senators) must act with the utmost impartiality and objectivity, considering only the facts they are presented and the laws”.
Inside the chamber, many senators can barely disguise their eagerness to finish Rousseff off – and inflict lasting damage on the once mighty Workers’ Party.
The exact date of the final vote is yet unknown.
Rousseff, who was tortured and imprisoned by the 1970s dictatorship for membership in a Marxist urban guerrilla group, swore to fight to the end against what she calls a coup. She is also a professor in the International Relations department at the University of Rio de Janeiro and the editor of the book Human Rights in Brazil.
A survey published by O Globo newspaper on Thursday showed that 52 senators were committed to voting to dismiss Rousseff, with only 19 supporting her and 10 undecided or not polled.
However, Rousseff’s rule coincided with a dramatic slump in global commodity prices, which badly hurt exporter Brazil, as well as the revelation of mass embezzlement at oil giant Petrobras, the flagship state company, during Lula’s presidency.
Financial markets have rallied at the prospect of an impeachment, but Brazil’s financial and political woes are far from over. Still, investors and members of Temer’s fragile coalition are concerned he has yet to implement measures to control the deficit.
FILE – In this December 13, 2015 file photo, a woman holds a sign that reads in Portuguese; “Dilma Out” during a demonstration in favor of the impeachment of Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff, on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On Tuesday, the Senate will have the final vote.
Temer’s team has sought to speed up the trial so he can set about restoring confidence in a once-booming economy and remove any doubts about his legitimacy. He is then expected to address the nation before heading to the summit of the G20 group of leading economies in Hangzhou, China on September 4-5 on his first trip overseas.
Rousseff told hundreds of supporters who rallied on her behalf Wednesday night that she would personally defend herself in the Senate on Monday.
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As the economy worsened, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in early 2015, with many demanding the ouster of Rousseff and her left-leaning Workers’ Party.
