Brazil's Rousseff Faces Impeachment Effort Amid Other Woes
- 8 years ago
Already struggling with weak popularity over Brazil's economic ills and a political corruption scandal, President Dilma Rousseff now must fight an impeachment effort launched by a political foe who heads Congress' lower house.
Speaker Eduardo Cunha opened impeachment proceedings against Rousseff on Wednesday, citing a court's finding that her administration violated fiscal responsibility laws by using money from state-run banks to fill budget gaps and pay for social programs.
Rousseff went on television to sharply reject Cunha's accusations, and most analysts predicted she would survive.
"The chances of President Rousseff being impeached aren't as big as politicians say now, despite this bold move by Cunha," said Luciano Dias, a political consultant at the Brasilia-based Analise Politica firm.
"They are not insignificant, but they are not huge."
Speaker Eduardo Cunha opened impeachment proceedings against Rousseff on Wednesday, citing a court's finding that her administration violated fiscal responsibility laws by using money from state-run banks to fill budget gaps and pay for social programs.
Rousseff went on television to sharply reject Cunha's accusations, and most analysts predicted she would survive.
"The chances of President Rousseff being impeached aren't as big as politicians say now, despite this bold move by Cunha," said Luciano Dias, a political consultant at the Brasilia-based Analise Politica firm.
"They are not insignificant, but they are not huge."