Brazil’s Senate Impeaches President Rousseff

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) —
The voting panel after a session shows the result, in favour of the impeach of President Dilma Rousseff for breaking budget laws in Brasilia, Brazil, May 12, 2016. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
The voting panel after a session shows the result, in favor of the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff for breaking budget laws in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday. (Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino)

Brazil’s Senate voted Thursday, by a margin of 55-22, to impeach the South American giant’s first woman president.

President Dilma Rousseff is accused of using accounting tricks to hide large budget deficits.

Rousseff will be suspended and replaced for up to six months by Vice President Michel Temer pending a trial in the Senate. The trial will determine whether Rousseff can serve out her second term, or whether her ally-turned-enemy, Temer, will remain in the top job through the December 2018 end of the term.

The result represents a victory for the pro-impeachment camp. It was significantly higher than the simple majority of 41 votes needed to suspend her. It sends a signal that Rousseff faces an uphill battle to return to power.

Thursday’s vote capped a marathon session in the Senate that lasted more than 20 hours.

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