Brazil's Senate votes to impeach president
 Print This
By Staff Writers, teleSUR
teleSUR
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Brazil's Senate has voted 55 to 22 to put President Dilma Rousseff on trial, which could lead to her impeachment. The marathon session lasted for almost 24 hours and was met with protests in support of Rousseff and against what many call a soft coup. Rousseff maintains that she has committed no crime and that the attempts to oust her are therefore political. The president will address the nation soon after she is notified of her suspension from office while she faces trial.
The head of state will now be suspended from office for a maximum of 180 days, leaving Vice President Michel Temer as acting president during her trial. He would remain in the post until elections in 2018 if she is found guilty.
Supporters of Rousseff again held an all-night vigil and more plan to take to the streets of the fractured nation this morning.
One protester quoted by teleSUR said, "We don't care if they say it is legal, it is not. We will continue to fight."
Meanwhile, the legal grounds for impeachment were questioned by the secretary general of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, Tuesday. He stated that he would seek the legal opinion of the Inter-American Human Rights Court.
Source URL
|
 Print This
|
