Latin America
Related: About this forumBrazil's President Dilma Rousseff ousted from office by Senate
Brazil's Senate on Wednesday voted to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the culmination of a yearlong fight that paralyzed Latin America's most powerful economy and exposed deep rifts among its people on everything from race relations to social spending.
While Rousseff's ouster was widely expected, the decision was a key chapter in a colossal political struggle that is far from over. Rousseff was Brazil's first female president, with a storied career that includes a stint as a Marxist guerrilla jailed and tortured in the 1970s during the country's dictatorship. She was accused of breaking fiscal laws in her management of the federal budget.
Opposition lawmakers argued that the maneuvers masked yawning deficits from high spending and ultimately exacerbated the recession in a nation that had long enjoyed darling status among emerging economies. Rousseff proclaimed her innocence up to the end, noting that previous presidents used similar accounting techniques and saying the push to remove her was a bloodless coup d'état by elites fuming over the populist polices of her Workers' Party the last 13 years.
In the background through it all was a wide-ranging investigation into billions of dollars in kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras. The two-year probe has led to the jailing of dozens of top businessmen and politicians from across the political spectrum, and threatens many of the same lawmakers who voted to remove Rousseff.
Rousseff argued that many opponents just wanted her out of the way so they could save their own skins by tampering with the investigation, which Rousseff had refused to do. Many lawmakers and Brazilians nationwide, meanwhile, blamed Rousseff for the graft even though she has never been personally implicated. They argued that she had to know, as many of the alleged bribes happened while her party was in power.
Rousseff's removal creates many questions that are not easily answered. Michel Temer, her vice president who became her nemesis, will serve out the remainder of her term through 2018. But Brazilians have already gotten a taste of Temer's leadership, and they are clearly unimpressed.
In May, Temer took over as interim President after the Senate impeached and suspended Rousseff. The 75-year-old career politician named a Cabinet of all-white men, a decision roundly criticized in a nation that is more than 50% nonwhite. Three of his ministers were forced to resign within weeks of taking their jobs because of corruption allegations, which also follow Temer and threaten his hold on power.
When Temer announced the opening of the Olympics on August 5, he was so vociferously booed that he remained out of sight for the remainder of the games.
Rousseff's allies have vowed to appeal to the country's highest court. While previous petitions to the court have failed to stop the impeachment process, at the very least legal wrangling will keep the issue front and center.
At: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/brazils-president-rousseff-ousted-from-office-by-senate/ar-AAihpLP?OCID=ansmsnnews11
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True to form, one of these senators (Aloysio Nunes, of Temer's PSDB) was caught by cameras with a dime bag of cocaine as Dilma was speaking.
Above all It's worth noting that while over a third of these good senators are under indictment on some form of corruption (usually bribery or massive tax evasion), Dilma herself is not and never has been.
Há sempre um amanhã.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)forest444
(5,902 posts)A real labor of love there.
Thank you, Coyotl.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Social media users are discussing whether a Brazilian senator has a sweet tooth or drug problem.
A video that was published Tuesday shows a Brazilian senator shaking a bag of white powder during Dilma Rousseffs impeachment defense, sparking debate on the origin of the substance.
The video was taken Monday, when suspended President Rousseff addressed the Senate in her impeachment trial. Dilmas defense was broadcast live throughout the country.
As Rousseff answered Senators Aloysio Nunes questions regarding the charges against her, the camera spotted another senator in the back shaking a small bag of white powder.
Only the hand of the unknown senator can be seen while it holds the substance. The video has created a stir on social media. ..........
"When we think we've seen everything in politics in Brazil, we have a senator who brings cocaine to the plenary session."
Judi Lynn
(160,530 posts)and have swallowed the disinformation hook, line, sinker, and actually believe Dilma Rousseff herself has taken bribes, etc.
No wonder the propagandists have such an easy job in our country. These unkempt, undisciplined minds are fertile fields for lies.
Thank you for the news we feared would happened. Surely hope this is not over, not by a long shot.
forest444
(5,902 posts)It's fair to say the fix was in from the start, and that Dilma Rousseff had no chance. I'd even venture to say that if the backers of this coup had struggled to reach the requisite 54 Senate votes to impeach, juicy bribes would have been made available.
Senator Acir Gurgacz practically admitted as much by conceding that Dilma had committed no crimes - but that he voted to impeach because the people of Rondônia demanded it.
This coup was, as you might expect, big news in Argentina; Brazil, besides being five times larger by population, is also Argentina's largest trading partner and both countries are each other's top source of foreign tourism.
Cristina Kirchner denounced the coup as a "novel way of violating popular sovereignty" and a "dark episode in the history of Latin America."
But true to form, Macri endorsed the coup not only by marginalizing the event as an "institutional process" (not unlike sacking a minor cabinet minister); but by describing it as Brazil's "reaffirmation of an absolute respect for human rights, democratic institutions, and international law."
You know, that - word for word - is exactly how the Videla dictatorship described itself all those years ago. Sheer coincidence, I'm sure.
Judi Lynn
(160,530 posts)Unbelievable. Couldn't be further from the truth, either.
This is all a desperately "dark episode in the history of Latin America."
Both fascist oligarchies must be so proud of themselves. They also have the full support of the MIC in Washington behind them, too, regardless of how many democratic US Americans see right through this.
Try as they do, and as they will, they are not going to ultimately win this war. This is just an "episode" as Cristina Kirchner mentioned. The people of the world despise them, and in time they are going to find out how futile it actually is for them to steal power and control of the militaries so they can keep their own people living in fear, afraid to breathe.
I don't think they need to unpack their bags, actually. Can always hope!
Judi Lynn
(160,530 posts)The Latest: Rousseff supporters smash windows in Brazil
Updated 8:53 pm, Wednesday, August 31, 2016
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) The Latest on the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (all times local):
10:50 p.m.
Unhappy with Dilma Rousseff's ouster, a group of Brazilians smashed windows of bank branches, other businesses and a police SUV in the city of Sao Paulo.
Anti-riot police tried to quell the demonstration that began in one of the city's main avenues with stun grenades and tear gas. The protest turned violent right after new leader Michel Temer addressed the nation in a televised message. It's not clear whether anyone was injured in the clashes.
. . .
Earlier around the same area, a group of people cut cake and drank sparkling wine to celebrate the change in power.
More:
http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/The-Latest-Vote-nears-on-whether-to-remove-9194973.php#photo-10858035