Suspended Brazil president to stand impeachment trial

President Dilma Rousseff insisted Monday she
had committed no crime and said she was proud
that she'd been "faithful to my commitment to
the nation."
Brazil's post-Olympic high came to an end as
Rousseff's impeachment trial began. Her remarks
from the Senate floor suggested the suspended
president had no intention of accepting the bid
for her impeachment without a fight.
"I'll plan and fight for democracy," she said. "I
don't fight for my term for the power, but I fight
for the democracy for truth and justice and the
people of my country."
It's not clear if an impassioned speech will do
any good. The tide of opinion is against her, and
the appearance is widely expected to be her last
public address.
It's a jarring return to reality for the South
American nation, with the final vote in the drama
following the celebrations that came with Rio de
Janeiro hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The impeachment process has dragged on for
months, predating the Olympic torch lighting
ceremony -- a glitzy showpiece that, despite
orchestrating, Rousseff was barred from
attending. It's a political crisis that ordinary
Brazilians could do well without -- the country is
trying to pick itself out of recession.
'It's not an impeachment'
Rousseff calls the impeachment an attempt at a
power grab by her rivals, saying her government
has long been the target of political sabotage.
"When Brazil or when a president is impeached
for a crime that they have not committed, the
name we have for this in democracy, it's not an
impeachment, it is a coup," she said in May after
the Senate voted to launch the proceedings.
The heir-apparent to former President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva, Rousseff was re-elected by
a narrow margin in 2014, but soon a recession
and a cross-party corruption scandal put an end
to any political goodwill she might have earned.
She has been suspended from all official duties
and has -- for the time being, at least -- been
replaced by her former deputy, Michel Temer, a
man she accuses of stabbing her in the back.
The final vote to impeach, which needs to be
ratified by a two-thirds majority of 81 senators
(54 votes), is expected Tuesday.
If the vote passes -- and most observers expect
it to do so easily -- Temer will become the
country's new president until 2018's general
election, at least. He would inherit a tattered
economy along with the keys to the presidential
palace in Brasilia.
What do the polls say about Rousseff?
Rousseff's popularity soared when she was
elected Brazil's first female President in 2010.
Lately, her approval rating has been hovering
around 10%, according to recent polls.
For some context, pollster Ipsos said in a report
in April that Rousseff's approval rating was
around 15%, while former US President Richard
Nixon's approval rating was 25% before he
resigned and former US President Bill Clinton's
approval rating was 65% before his
impeachment.
Rousseff told CNN earlier this year that low
approval ratings shouldn't fuel a push to remove
a democratically elected leader from office.
What is she accused of?
She faces accusations that she doctored
accounts ahead of her re-election in 2014 to
hide a budget shortfall and to keep funding
popular social programs. Rousseff maintains she
didn't do anything illegal and is expected to
counter that some of the lawmakers
investigating her are under investigation for
corruption.
"I have made mistakes, but I have not committed
any crimes. I am being judged unjustly, because
I have followed the law to the letter," Rousseff
has said.
Her government has been fighting corruption
allegations for a while.
A sweeping investigation into a multimillion-
dollar kickback scheme at the state-run oil
company Petrobras embroiled dozens of the
country's leading businessmen and politicians.
While she isn't accused directly of profiting,
Rousseff was the chairwoman of the state oil
company during many of the years of the alleged
corruption.
How much of her term is left?
Rousseff's term is set to end in December 2018.
Right now, she's suspended for up to 180 days,
and Temer is the acting president. If she's found
guilty in the impeachment proceedings, she'll be
removed from office. She insists she'll stick
around to see out her term, but Tuesday's vote
will determine that.
Who is behind the impeachment?
Again, like many things in Brazil's tumultuous
political landscape, it depends on whom you ask.
But in the country's lower house, one man had
been leading the charge: Eduardo Cunha.
Cunha launched a bid to impeach Rousseff in
December. He was the speaker of the lower
house until April when the Supreme Court
suspended him from all congressional duties
over allegations of obstructing corruption
investigations and intimidating lawmakers. He
resigned in July.


Source :cable news network
Edited by DANIEL IKECHUKWU EKWUNIFE