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| Brazil Rousseff: MPs set for knife-edge impeachment vote | Brazil Rousseff: MPs set for knife-edge impeachment vote |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Brazil's lower house of Congress is preparing to vote on whether to impeach President Dilma Rousseff over charges of manipulating government accounts for political gains. | Brazil's lower house of Congress is preparing to vote on whether to impeach President Dilma Rousseff over charges of manipulating government accounts for political gains. |
| Party leaders are addressing the chamber ahead of the vote. | Party leaders are addressing the chamber ahead of the vote. |
| Some MPs tried to disrupt the session as it got under way. Several thousand rival protesters are gathered outside the Congress building. | Some MPs tried to disrupt the session as it got under way. Several thousand rival protesters are gathered outside the Congress building. |
| Ms Rousseff, 68, denies the charge and accuses opponents of mounting a "coup". | |
| A two-thirds majority - 342 out of 513 votes - is needed to send the motion to the upper house, the Senate, which will consider the allegations of unlawful activity against her. | |
| If the Senate finds her guilty, she can be removed from office permanently. She has two opportunities to appeal during the whole process. | |
| Impeachment vote: Live updates | Impeachment vote: Live updates |
| Voting is due to start after statements from MPs and party leaders - the whole session, which is expected to last several hours, is being broadcast live on television as well as on large screens in city centres. | Voting is due to start after statements from MPs and party leaders - the whole session, which is expected to last several hours, is being broadcast live on television as well as on large screens in city centres. |
| Defending Ms Rousseff, Afonso Florence, of her governing Workers' Party, urged MPs to have a "democratic conscience", and attacked her opponents who are facing their own charges of corruption. | Defending Ms Rousseff, Afonso Florence, of her governing Workers' Party, urged MPs to have a "democratic conscience", and attacked her opponents who are facing their own charges of corruption. |
| Pro-impeachment MP, Antonio Imbassahy of the PSDB party, told lawmakers to "choose the country that we want from now on", and said Brazil needed "moral reconstruction." | Pro-impeachment MP, Antonio Imbassahy of the PSDB party, told lawmakers to "choose the country that we want from now on", and said Brazil needed "moral reconstruction." |
| Read more on Brazil's political crisis: | Read more on Brazil's political crisis: |
| Hundreds of thousands of protesters were gathering in cities across the country as the session got under way. | Hundreds of thousands of protesters were gathering in cities across the country as the session got under way. |
| A 2m (6.5ft) high wall, stretching 1km (0.6 miles), has been built along the esplanade in front of Congress to separate the rival supporters, with TV screens on either side. | A 2m (6.5ft) high wall, stretching 1km (0.6 miles), has been built along the esplanade in front of Congress to separate the rival supporters, with TV screens on either side. |
| Brazil's three main newspapers predict a narrow vote in favour of impeaching Ms Rousseff. | Brazil's three main newspapers predict a narrow vote in favour of impeaching Ms Rousseff. |
| The president has vigorously denied any wrongdoing, and on Saturday wrote in one newspaper her opponents "want to convict an innocent woman and save the corrupt". | The president has vigorously denied any wrongdoing, and on Saturday wrote in one newspaper her opponents "want to convict an innocent woman and save the corrupt". |
| The BBC's Wyre Davis in Brazil says Ms Rousseff is an unpopular leader in a country facing a severe economic crisis. | |
| She is accused of juggling the accounts to make her government's economic performance appear better than it was, ahead of her election campaign two years ago - charges she vigorously denies. | She is accused of juggling the accounts to make her government's economic performance appear better than it was, ahead of her election campaign two years ago - charges she vigorously denies. |
| But her supporters say many of the congressmen who are sitting in judgement have been accused of far more serious crimes. | |
| If she is impeached, Vice-President Michel Temer would take over as interim president, but he is also facing impeachment proceedings over the same allegations as Ms Rousseff. | |
| Ms Rousseff accused him this week of being one of the ringleaders of the "coup" attempt against her. | |
| She has also indicated lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha - who would be second in line to replace her - is among those trying to oust her. He is being investigated over allegations of taking multi-million-dollar bribes. | |
| Next in line to replace her is Renan Calheiros, head of the Senate. But he, too, is under investigation in connection with a massive corruption scandal at state-oil company Petrobras. | |
| All three are from the PMDB - the largest party in the coalition, which abandoned Ms Rousseff in recent weeks to support the impeachment. They deny the allegations against them. | |
| What happens next? | What happens next? |
| Lower house vote: An impeachment vote is due in the lower house on Sunday. A two-thirds majority is required for it to go forward to the Senate. | Lower house vote: An impeachment vote is due in the lower house on Sunday. A two-thirds majority is required for it to go forward to the Senate. |
| Senate vote on trial: If Ms Rousseff case is sent to the Senate, a simple majority is enough to suspend her for up to 180 days while she is put on trial. Vice-President Michel Temer would step in during this period. | Senate vote on trial: If Ms Rousseff case is sent to the Senate, a simple majority is enough to suspend her for up to 180 days while she is put on trial. Vice-President Michel Temer would step in during this period. |
| Impeachment vote: For Ms Rousseff to be removed from office permanently, two-thirds of the Senate would have to vote in favour. Mr Temer would remain president for an interim period should this happen. | Impeachment vote: For Ms Rousseff to be removed from office permanently, two-thirds of the Senate would have to vote in favour. Mr Temer would remain president for an interim period should this happen. |