Lawmakers voted 61-20 Wednesday to remove Rousseff from office, finding her guilty of breaking budgetary laws in an impeachment trial. It’s a political crisis that ordinary Brazilians could do well without as the country, which just hosted the Summer Olympics in Rio, is trying to pull itself out of recession. Michel Temer, now acting President, has been sworn in as President and will lead the country for the next few years as he will carry out Rousseff’s remaining term.
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Speaking at the Alvorada presidential palace on the outskirts of the capital Brasilia, Rousseff, from the leftist Workers’ Party, condemned her forced exit. She allegedly did this by illegally using state loans to patch the 2014 budget.
“When Brazil or when a President is impeached for a crime that they have not committed”, she said, “the name we have for this in democracy – it’s not an impeachment, it is a coup”.
Rousseff defended her innocence and characterized the impeachment as a coup. The party had ruled Brazil for 13 years, prior to the ouster of Rousseff. Two-thirds of the senate vote was required to strip her of her political rights, but only 42 out of the 81 senators were looking for the rough treatment. Rousseff’s impeachment came with a soft landing as the motion to bar her from holding any public office for the next eight years failed.
Rousseff argued that many opponents wanted her out of the way so they could save themselves by tampering with the investigation, which Rousseff had refused to do.
The president, unlike most of her allies, was never accused of corruption. They argued that she had to know, as numerous alleged bribes happened while her party was in power.
But the court challenge is only one of the many challenges stacking up for Temer, whose declared mission to fix the economy will require pushing painful reforms through the same hostile Congress that brought down Rousseff. However, during Rousseff’s second presidential term, Temer and Rousseff had a political falling out. He was expected to address the nation in the evening.
But Brazilians have already gotten a taste of Temer’s leadership, and they are clearly unimpressed. Three ministers soon resigned facing corruption allegations, which also follow Temer and threaten his hold on power. With the world watching, Temer was booed at the Opening Ceremony at the Rio Olympics.
Rousseff could, and likely will, appeal to Brazil’s highest court, The Associated Press reports. The process has taken its time, with congressional debates starting back in December and Rousseff being suspended by the Senate by a vote of 55 to 22 on May 12 after a marathon 21 hour session.
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In Sao Paolo, Rousseff supporters lit fires and smashed banks and other businesses, clashing with riot police, who fired tear gas in a bid to control the crowds.
