This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/world/americas/dilma-rousseff-brazil-president-impeachment-vote.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Dilma Rousseff Braces for Brazilian Senate’s Impeachment Vote | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| BRASÍLIA — Even before the speeches were finished, the votes were cast and her fate had been sealed, a common conclusion had already settled in the halls of President Dilma Rousseff’s palace on Wednesday: The party’s over. | BRASÍLIA — Even before the speeches were finished, the votes were cast and her fate had been sealed, a common conclusion had already settled in the halls of President Dilma Rousseff’s palace on Wednesday: The party’s over. |
| With a mixture of grim resignation and a dash of gallows humor, aides said that some of them had already stopped working; they were now too busy looking for new jobs. Others even seemed a little relieved; at least the long battle was almost over. | With a mixture of grim resignation and a dash of gallows humor, aides said that some of them had already stopped working; they were now too busy looking for new jobs. Others even seemed a little relieved; at least the long battle was almost over. |
| As for Ms. Rousseff, who has publicly vowed to keep fighting the “coup mongers” engineering her ouster, her office issued only a cryptic description of her schedule: “Internal meetings.” | As for Ms. Rousseff, who has publicly vowed to keep fighting the “coup mongers” engineering her ouster, her office issued only a cryptic description of her schedule: “Internal meetings.” |
| Just a short stroll from her palace, the Senate was debating whether to suspend Ms. Rousseff and place her on trial, the culmination of months of tirades, secret maneuvering and legal appeals in the campaign to impeach her. | Just a short stroll from her palace, the Senate was debating whether to suspend Ms. Rousseff and place her on trial, the culmination of months of tirades, secret maneuvering and legal appeals in the campaign to impeach her. |
| “I’m convinced that there is more than enough proof of her crimes,” said Marta Suplicy, a senator from São Paulo who was Ms. Rousseff’s ally before defecting from her leftist Workers’ Party. | “I’m convinced that there is more than enough proof of her crimes,” said Marta Suplicy, a senator from São Paulo who was Ms. Rousseff’s ally before defecting from her leftist Workers’ Party. |
| Even some of Ms. Rousseff’s supporters in the Senate expected her to lose the vote, which would oust the Workers’ Party from the presidency it has held for 13 years. | Even some of Ms. Rousseff’s supporters in the Senate expected her to lose the vote, which would oust the Workers’ Party from the presidency it has held for 13 years. |
| “There is no other path for us than opposition,” Humberto Costa, the Workers’ Party leader in the Senate, told reporters during the session on Wednesday. Still, he said it would be a “very firm opposition.” | “There is no other path for us than opposition,” Humberto Costa, the Workers’ Party leader in the Senate, told reporters during the session on Wednesday. Still, he said it would be a “very firm opposition.” |
| The Senate vote is a watershed in the power struggle consuming Brazil, a country that experienced a rare stretch of stability over the last two decades as it strengthened its economy and achieved greater prominence on the world stage. | The Senate vote is a watershed in the power struggle consuming Brazil, a country that experienced a rare stretch of stability over the last two decades as it strengthened its economy and achieved greater prominence on the world stage. |
| Now, those gains are unraveling. Brazil is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, huge corruption cases across the political spectrum and a bitter feud among its scandal-plagued leaders — just months before the world heads to Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympics. | Now, those gains are unraveling. Brazil is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, huge corruption cases across the political spectrum and a bitter feud among its scandal-plagued leaders — just months before the world heads to Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympics. |
| Justifying the somber mood in Ms. Rousseff’s palace, one senator after another announced their plans on Wednesday to vote against her, signaling the end of the political dominance of her leftist Workers’ Party. | Justifying the somber mood in Ms. Rousseff’s palace, one senator after another announced their plans on Wednesday to vote against her, signaling the end of the political dominance of her leftist Workers’ Party. |
| If she is suspended and put on trial, she will become the second of Brazil’s four elected presidents to be removed from office since democracy was re-established in the mid-1980s after a long dictatorship. | If she is suspended and put on trial, she will become the second of Brazil’s four elected presidents to be removed from office since democracy was re-established in the mid-1980s after a long dictatorship. |
| She lost a vote last month in the lower house of Congress, which advanced the impeachment proceedings to the Senate. Powerful lawmakers fending off their own graft charges led the effort against her. | She lost a vote last month in the lower house of Congress, which advanced the impeachment proceedings to the Senate. Powerful lawmakers fending off their own graft charges led the effort against her. |
| “Plainly said, this is the worst crisis in our history, with its combination of economic calamity, discredited politics and the violation of the lowest ethical standards,” Boris Fausto, a Brazilian historian, told reporters this month. | “Plainly said, this is the worst crisis in our history, with its combination of economic calamity, discredited politics and the violation of the lowest ethical standards,” Boris Fausto, a Brazilian historian, told reporters this month. |
| Unlike some of her adversaries in Congress, Ms. Rousseff is not suspected of stealing for personal enrichment. Instead, she faces accusations that she borrowed money from state banks to plug budget holes. Her opponents say she used this strategy to hide Brazil’s economic problems, in an attempt to improve her re-election prospects. | Unlike some of her adversaries in Congress, Ms. Rousseff is not suspected of stealing for personal enrichment. Instead, she faces accusations that she borrowed money from state banks to plug budget holes. Her opponents say she used this strategy to hide Brazil’s economic problems, in an attempt to improve her re-election prospects. |
| But even many who want Ms. Rousseff to be ousted are bracing for what comes next. Vice President Michel Temer, the former ally who is poised to take over the government if Ms. Rousseff is suspended, is an unpopular figure as well, with one recent poll finding that only 2 percent of Brazilians would vote for him. | But even many who want Ms. Rousseff to be ousted are bracing for what comes next. Vice President Michel Temer, the former ally who is poised to take over the government if Ms. Rousseff is suspended, is an unpopular figure as well, with one recent poll finding that only 2 percent of Brazilians would vote for him. |
| He also faces his own legal problems. An electoral court ordered him this month to pay a fine for violating campaign financing limits. The ruling could make him ineligible to run for elected office for eight years, creating an unusual situation in which a politician barred from campaigning ends up running the country. | He also faces his own legal problems. An electoral court ordered him this month to pay a fine for violating campaign financing limits. The ruling could make him ineligible to run for elected office for eight years, creating an unusual situation in which a politician barred from campaigning ends up running the country. |
| “Temer is what we’ve got,” Mr. Fausto said. “I hope he’ll be up to the difficult and often highly unpopular tasks ahead of him.” | “Temer is what we’ve got,” Mr. Fausto said. “I hope he’ll be up to the difficult and often highly unpopular tasks ahead of him.” |
| Fixing the economy, which may require adopting unpopular austerity measures, is just one of the challenges facing Mr. Temer, 75, a lawyer and career politician who, until recently, was perhaps best known to many Brazilians for his 32-year-old wife, Marcela, a former beauty pageant contestant with his name tattooed on the nape of her neck. | Fixing the economy, which may require adopting unpopular austerity measures, is just one of the challenges facing Mr. Temer, 75, a lawyer and career politician who, until recently, was perhaps best known to many Brazilians for his 32-year-old wife, Marcela, a former beauty pageant contestant with his name tattooed on the nape of her neck. |
| Brazil is grappling with the Zika epidemic, one of its worst health crises in decades. Its oil industry is crashing as Petrobras, the national oil company, faces low energy prices and an enormous graft scandal. And there are doubts about the nation’s preparations for the Summer Olympics in August. | Brazil is grappling with the Zika epidemic, one of its worst health crises in decades. Its oil industry is crashing as Petrobras, the national oil company, faces low energy prices and an enormous graft scandal. And there are doubts about the nation’s preparations for the Summer Olympics in August. |
| But the impasse between Ms. Rousseff and her rivals has kept the government in Brasília distracted from these problems, exposing the political establishment to withering scrutiny around the country. | But the impasse between Ms. Rousseff and her rivals has kept the government in Brasília distracted from these problems, exposing the political establishment to withering scrutiny around the country. |
| While Ms. Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president, has largely stuck to her routine in recent days, consulting with cabinet ministers and meeting with supporters, aides said they expected her to watch the Senate vote on television. | While Ms. Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president, has largely stuck to her routine in recent days, consulting with cabinet ministers and meeting with supporters, aides said they expected her to watch the Senate vote on television. |
| Images have already circulated of Ms. Rousseff’s offices cleared of personal photographs, giving rooms a spartan feel. In another departure from her daily regimen, she traded her usual morning bike ride for a walk on Wednesday in the gardens around her residence, among the rheas — the tall, flightless birds that endure on the country’s tropical savannas. | Images have already circulated of Ms. Rousseff’s offices cleared of personal photographs, giving rooms a spartan feel. In another departure from her daily regimen, she traded her usual morning bike ride for a walk on Wednesday in the gardens around her residence, among the rheas — the tall, flightless birds that endure on the country’s tropical savannas. |
| If she is ousted by the Senate, the formal notification of her removal should arrive on Thursday or Friday. Local news reports said that she would exit the palace alongside her mentor, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in a show of defiance. She would then be driven in a chauffeured car to her residence, the futuristic Palácio da Alvorada, where she is allowed to stay during her 180-day trial. | If she is ousted by the Senate, the formal notification of her removal should arrive on Thursday or Friday. Local news reports said that she would exit the palace alongside her mentor, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in a show of defiance. She would then be driven in a chauffeured car to her residence, the futuristic Palácio da Alvorada, where she is allowed to stay during her 180-day trial. |
| Ms. Rousseff, 68, contends that her predecessors enacted the same budgetary manipulation policies that she is accused of. Her rivals say that does not make her innocent. | Ms. Rousseff, 68, contends that her predecessors enacted the same budgetary manipulation policies that she is accused of. Her rivals say that does not make her innocent. |
| Beyond that, an array of figures in her Workers’ Party are either in jail or under investigation on charges of graft, dealing a blow to the legitimacy of a party that came to power vowing to end such practices. | Beyond that, an array of figures in her Workers’ Party are either in jail or under investigation on charges of graft, dealing a blow to the legitimacy of a party that came to power vowing to end such practices. |
| During a suspension, her salary would be cut in half, to about $4,400 a month, though she would still have access to a large staff, numbering in the dozens. The man seeking to replace her, Mr. Temer, would take the helm of government while living in his official residence, the Palácio do Jaburu. | During a suspension, her salary would be cut in half, to about $4,400 a month, though she would still have access to a large staff, numbering in the dozens. The man seeking to replace her, Mr. Temer, would take the helm of government while living in his official residence, the Palácio do Jaburu. |
| Concerns are growing about the legitimacy of a government assembled by Mr. Temer. If Ms. Rousseff and the Workers’ Party shift into the opposition, they will most likely claim her ouster was illegal, and Mr. Temer’s top allies remain mired in corruption scandals of their own. | Concerns are growing about the legitimacy of a government assembled by Mr. Temer. If Ms. Rousseff and the Workers’ Party shift into the opposition, they will most likely claim her ouster was illegal, and Mr. Temer’s top allies remain mired in corruption scandals of their own. |
| Several of his top advisers are under investigation, including Romero Jucá, a senator from Roraima State in the Amazon, and Geddel Vieira Lima, a former executive at one of Brazil’s largest public banks. Mr. Temer has insisted that those inquiries would not prevent him from naming the advisers to his cabinet. | Several of his top advisers are under investigation, including Romero Jucá, a senator from Roraima State in the Amazon, and Geddel Vieira Lima, a former executive at one of Brazil’s largest public banks. Mr. Temer has insisted that those inquiries would not prevent him from naming the advisers to his cabinet. |
| The president has maintained a sense of resolve. Speaking in Brasília to activists promoting women’s rights this week, Ms. Rousseff, who was an operative in an urban guerrilla group in her youth, addressed the crestfallen mood around her. | The president has maintained a sense of resolve. Speaking in Brasília to activists promoting women’s rights this week, Ms. Rousseff, who was an operative in an urban guerrilla group in her youth, addressed the crestfallen mood around her. |
| Calling her adversaries “traitors,” she said, “I’m not tired of fighting.” | Calling her adversaries “traitors,” she said, “I’m not tired of fighting.” |