While the country’s economy heads to a depression, Brazil decides to open impeachment proceedings against the president.
Dom Phillips reports,
Eduardo Cunha, speaker of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, approved the launching of the impeachment proceedings. The process will examine Rousseff’s possible connection to a huge corruption scandal at the state-controlled oil company Petrobras and the decision by Petrobras to buy an overpriced oil refinery in Pasadena, Tex., in 2006 when Rousseff was the company’s board chairwoman, officials said. More seriously, the proceedings will focus on allegations that she broke the law through irregularities in the government’s accounting and spending.
. . .
Cunha is one of dozens of lawmakers being investigated in connection with the Petrobras scandal and faces an impeachment process by a chamber ethics committee. Analysts saw his decision Wednesday as part of a tough game of political poker. They note it came after three key Workers’ Party deputies on the ethics committee voted for the investigation into his activities to continue.
. . .
Under Brazil’s impeachment procedures, a committee is formed to consider the allegations, which are then voted on by the Chamber of Deputies. If two-thirds of the chamber, or 342 deputies, vote in favor of impeachment, Rousseff is temporarily suspended awaiting a final vote by the Senate. There, a two-thirds vote is needed to remove her from office.
Just last October I was asking, who will get impeached first, Dilma or Cunha?
Sounds like Cunha had fired the first shot, and he managed to put Dilma Rousseff into spotlight. Now, the ball is in Dilma Rousseff’s court. And, given the fact her popularity is as low as possible, anything is possible.
P.S.:Glad to see your comments section back. 🙂