Brazil's Senate launched a marathon debate Wednesday on impeaching President Dilma Rousseff, whose hours in office appeared numbered after the Supreme Court rejected her bid to halt the proceedings.
Even Rousseff's allies said she had no chance of surviving the Senate vote, which could end 13 years of rule by the leftist Workers' Party in Latin America's biggest country.
Rousseff is accused of illegal accounting maneuvers to hide budget holes in an election year, but says the charges are trumped up and amount to a coup by her right-wing opponents.
A simple majority in the 81-member Senate will trigger Rousseff's six-month suspension pending the outcome of her impeachment trial. She would be replaced by her vice-president-turned-enemy Michel Temer, from a center-right party.
A two-thirds majority would then be needed to remove Rousseff permanently at the conclusion of the trial, with Temer remaining president until 2018 elections.
Senate President Renan Calheiros, who was overseeing the proceedings, told reporters that impeachment would be "traumatic" for Brazil.
But Rousseff's chances of escape evaporated as the high court denied her attorney general's last-ditch attempt to stop the process.
A vote was due to be held either Wednesday night or in the wee hours of Thursday.
Calheiros said Rousseff would be formally notified of her suspension on Thursday and he would discuss with her the details of how to hand power to Temer.
- Cleaning desks out -
Due to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in less than three months, Brazil is struggling with its worst recession in decades and a corruption scandal reaching deep into the political and business elite.
The multiple crises have left the country divided between those blaming Rousseff and those loyal to the Workers' Party, whose transformative social programs have lifted tens of millions of people from poverty.
The divisions were plain to see outside Congress, where police erected a giant metal wall to keep apart rival groups of demonstrators expected later in the day. And in Rio pro- and anti-impeachment protesters briefly scuffled.
As the Senate session got under way, the square outside -- Brasilia's most famous landmark -- was shut off by police and eerily deserted.
A government worker heading into the presidential palace, the Planalto, said the atmosphere inside was "very sad."
"Many of us are looking for new jobs," said the woman, who asked not to be named.
A presidential spokesman said Rousseff's staff had begun cleaning out their desks.
And Rousseff has already removed her family photos and books from her office, according to Brazilian media reports. She is now considering whether to make her exit quietly or with a defiant flourish accompanied by crowds of supporters.
- Temer a solution? -
Senators made their cases in 15-minute blocks.
Senator Paulo Paim, a Rousseff ally, told journalists there would not be any "miracle" and that his side would concentrate on defeating impeachment when it came to the vote at the end of the trial, which could be months away.
His camp will be hoping to sway colleagues such as ex-football star Romario, who is now a senator for Rio de Janeiro, and was backing impeachment.
"I carefully went through (the impeachment documents)... and concluded that there is enough indication to admit the process," Romario said.
"Then, we will have the chance to know the facts better. That's what we'll do in the coming months."
But Magno Malta, a senator from the opposition PR party, said impeachment was the bitter medicine needed to heal a sick country.
"As soon as we vote for impeachment, the dollar will fall (against the Brazilian real), our stock market will rise and the patient will breathe again," he said.
Even some of those opposing Rousseff doubt that a change of power will resolve the country's underlying problems of corruption and mismanagement.
Pro-impeachment protester Sulineide Rodrigues said that even if she wanted Rousseff out she had few hopes for Temer improving things.
"We don't think Temer will be any better," Rodrigues, 59, said.
"But you know what we'll do? We'll keep coming back and keep having impeachments until there's someone there who listens to us Brazilians."
Brazil’s Senate launched a marathon debate Wednesday on impeaching President Dilma Rousseff, whose hours in office appeared numbered after the Supreme Court rejected her bid to halt the proceedings.
Even Rousseff’s allies said she had no chance of surviving the Senate vote, which could end 13 years of rule by the leftist Workers’ Party in Latin America’s biggest country.
Rousseff is accused of illegal accounting maneuvers to hide budget holes in an election year, but says the charges are trumped up and amount to a coup by her right-wing opponents.
A simple majority in the 81-member Senate will trigger Rousseff’s six-month suspension pending the outcome of her impeachment trial. She would be replaced by her vice-president-turned-enemy Michel Temer, from a center-right party.
A two-thirds majority would then be needed to remove Rousseff permanently at the conclusion of the trial, with Temer remaining president until 2018 elections.
Senate President Renan Calheiros, who was overseeing the proceedings, told reporters that impeachment would be “traumatic” for Brazil.
But Rousseff’s chances of escape evaporated as the high court denied her attorney general’s last-ditch attempt to stop the process.
A vote was due to be held either Wednesday night or in the wee hours of Thursday.
Calheiros said Rousseff would be formally notified of her suspension on Thursday and he would discuss with her the details of how to hand power to Temer.
– Cleaning desks out –
Due to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in less than three months, Brazil is struggling with its worst recession in decades and a corruption scandal reaching deep into the political and business elite.
The multiple crises have left the country divided between those blaming Rousseff and those loyal to the Workers’ Party, whose transformative social programs have lifted tens of millions of people from poverty.
The divisions were plain to see outside Congress, where police erected a giant metal wall to keep apart rival groups of demonstrators expected later in the day. And in Rio pro- and anti-impeachment protesters briefly scuffled.
As the Senate session got under way, the square outside — Brasilia’s most famous landmark — was shut off by police and eerily deserted.
A government worker heading into the presidential palace, the Planalto, said the atmosphere inside was “very sad.”
“Many of us are looking for new jobs,” said the woman, who asked not to be named.
A presidential spokesman said Rousseff’s staff had begun cleaning out their desks.
And Rousseff has already removed her family photos and books from her office, according to Brazilian media reports. She is now considering whether to make her exit quietly or with a defiant flourish accompanied by crowds of supporters.
– Temer a solution? –
Senators made their cases in 15-minute blocks.
Senator Paulo Paim, a Rousseff ally, told journalists there would not be any “miracle” and that his side would concentrate on defeating impeachment when it came to the vote at the end of the trial, which could be months away.
His camp will be hoping to sway colleagues such as ex-football star Romario, who is now a senator for Rio de Janeiro, and was backing impeachment.
“I carefully went through (the impeachment documents)… and concluded that there is enough indication to admit the process,” Romario said.
“Then, we will have the chance to know the facts better. That’s what we’ll do in the coming months.”
But Magno Malta, a senator from the opposition PR party, said impeachment was the bitter medicine needed to heal a sick country.
“As soon as we vote for impeachment, the dollar will fall (against the Brazilian real), our stock market will rise and the patient will breathe again,” he said.
Even some of those opposing Rousseff doubt that a change of power will resolve the country’s underlying problems of corruption and mismanagement.
Pro-impeachment protester Sulineide Rodrigues said that even if she wanted Rousseff out she had few hopes for Temer improving things.
“We don’t think Temer will be any better,” Rodrigues, 59, said.
“But you know what we’ll do? We’ll keep coming back and keep having impeachments until there’s someone there who listens to us Brazilians.”
