Brazilian congress votes to impeach president Dilma Rousseff

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday as a hostile and corruption-tainted congress voted to impeach her.

In a rowdy session of the lower house presided over by the president’s nemesis, house speaker Eduardo Cunha, voting ended late on Sunday evening with 367 of the 513 deputies backing impeachment – comfortably beyond the two-thirds majority of 342 needed to advance the case to the upper house.

As the outcome became clear, Jose Guimarães, the leader of the Workers party in the lower house, conceded defeat with more than 80 votes still to be counted. “The fight is now in the courts, the street and the senate,” he said.

As the crucial 342nd vote was cast for impeachment, the chamber erupted into cheers and Eu sou Brasileiro, the football chant that has become the anthem of the anti-government protest. Opposition cries of “coup, coup,coup” were drowned out. In the midst of the raucous scenes the most impassive figure in the chamber was the architect of the political demolition, Cunha.

Watched by tens of millions at home and in the streets, the vote – which was announced deputy by deputy – saw the conservative opposition comfortably secure its motion to remove the elected head of state less than halfway through her mandate. There were seven abstentions and two absences, and 137 deputies voted against the move

Once the senate agrees to consider the motion, which is likely within weeks, Rousseff will have to step aside for 180 days and the Workers party government, which has ruled Brazil since 2002, will be at least temporarily replaced by a centre-right administration led by vice-president Michel Temer.

On a dark night, arguably the lowest point was when Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right deputy from Rio de Janeiro, dedicated his yes vote to Carlos Brilhante Ustra, the colonel who headed the Doi-Codi torture unit during the dictatorship era. Rousseff, a former guerrilla, was among those tortured. Bolsonaro’s move prompted left-wing deputy Jean Wyllys to spit towards him.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, his son and also a deputy, used his time at the microphone to honour the general responsible for the military coup in 1964.

Deputies were called one by one to the microphone by the instigator of the impeachment process, Cunha – an evangelical conservative who is himself accused of perjury and corruption – and one by one they condemned the president.

Yes, voted Paulo Maluf, who is on Interpol’s red list for conspiracy. Yes, voted Nilton Capixiba, who is accused of money laundering. “For the love of God, yes!” declared Silas Camara, who is under investigation for forging documents and misappropriating public funds.

And yes, voted the vast majority of the more than 150 deputies who are implicated in crimes but protected by their status as parliamentarians.

Link : http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/18/dilma-rousseff-congress-impeach-brazilian-president?CMP=twt_b-gdnnews

Hakuwa na majority in the house ama even members of her party voted against her?

she had a coalition that ensured a majority after getting elected, but the coalition partners fell oundalst and abandoned her in the midst of all these scandals

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uko hakuna psycophancy they vote with their heads.

There’s hope for Babuon, after all…

Brazil’s corruption is on another level

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I read about the history of Brazil and actually think that we are actually better.

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More than half their MPs have been indicted for one crime or another - these guys know how to eat.

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I’m sure they didn’t impeach her for patriotic reasons.

coupled by the fact that Brazil and Latin America is largely leftist, the society believes in a lot of government assistance and subsidies, demonstrations all over wakisikia tu kakitu kameibiwo

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This time it was the right that organized this protest but they’re not saints either. They’re all corrupt and worst of all is that they’re racists and have a lot of disdain for poor people, have drug ties and want to keep Brazil as a theocracy.

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