Brazilian Senate set to hold impeachment vote on Wednesday

Global Business

The Brazilian Senate has plans to vote Wednesday on the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. But, there is a last-ditch effort by the president to save her job.

The Attorney General is now requesting the Supreme Court annul the proceedings.

CCTV’s Paulo Cabral reports from Brasilia.

In the lower chamber, the anti-government camp saw an overwhelming victory. Deputies cast well over the required 2/3 of their votes in the “yes” column, pushing the impeachment process on to the Senate where a vote on Wednesday will determine whether Rousseff will be removed from office. A simple majority is all that’s needed.

A surprise decision Monday by the acting speaker of the chambers, Waldyr Maranhao, to annul the lower house vote threw the whole process into a brief period of chaos. The uproar, however was short lived – the decision was simply ignored by the Senate and then recalled by its own author.

Another chapter in Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment process seems to be reaching its end as the Senate prepares to vote on her removal. But this would be a six months suspension pending a trial. The whole story still has a few more chapters to go.


Brazilian VP Michel Temer set to become interim head of state

Michel Temer, current vice president of Brazil, is poised to become the country’s interim head of state. On Wednesday, the senate is due to begin impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff. If the Senate votes to try her, she will be automatically suspended until the trial’s conclusion and Temer will take over.

CCTV’s Lucrecia Franco reports.

Until the recent political controversy, Temer has largely governed in Rousseff’s shadow. Accused by Rousseff of conspiring against her, he’s now poised to replace her as Brazil’s head of state.

Temer kept a low profile but in April he practiced an acceptance speech for the presidency before the house voted to impeach. Someone leaked a recording and the ensuing controversy lead to Rousseff calling Temer a “conspirator” and “usurper.”


David Fleischer on the impeachment vote of President Rousseff

For more on the political crisis in Brazil and the impeachment vote of President Dilma Rousseff, CCTV America’s Elaine Reyes spoke with David Fleischer, an emeritus professor at University of Brasilia.