Why does Brazil want to impeach President Rousseff?
After months of speculation, mudslinging and debate, the process to open impeachment proceedings against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has reached its final stage: The Senate vote.
The country's 81 representatives are scheduled to issue their recommendation Wednesday. If a simple majority votes in favor of the Senate taking on the impeachment case, Rousseff will be forced to leave Planalto Presidential Palace for 180 days. According to a survey published by Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, 50 senators have expressed they would vote in favor of impeachment proceedings.
Not going down without a fight
Despite the looming Senate vote, Rousseff said Tuesday she will not go down without a fight.
"I am going to fight with all my strength, using all the means at my disposal," the embattled President said during a women's conference in Brasilia. "I want to assure you that for me, the last day of my term is December 31, 2018." Dilma Rousseff: I will fight to survive impeachment
Dilma Rousseff: I will fight to survive impeachment 10:48 Rousseff's supporters have also pledged to stand by the leader and took to the streets Tuesday in several Brazilian cities to protest what they labeled as a "coup." In Sao Paulo, a group of protesters set tires on fire and blocked traffic in one of the city's main arteries.
How did we get here?
The bid to impeach Rousseff was launched late last year by then-speaker of the lower house Eduardo Cunha. Cunha accused the President of breaking budgetary laws by borrowing from state banks to cover a shortfall in the deficit and pay for social programs in the run-up to her 2014 re-election.
A special committee to investigate the claims was formed in the legislative chamber, which took its recommendations to the full session where an overwhelming majority voted in favor of opening impeachment proceedings.
This comes as many of her allies are facing corruption charges in a sweeping investigation into a multimillion-dollar kickback scheme at the state-run oil company Petrobras. The investigation, known as Lava-Jato, has embroiled dozens of the country's leading businessmen and politicians.
While she isn't accused directly of profiting, Rousseff was the chairwoman of Petrobras during many of the years of the alleged corruption.
If impeachment vote passes, what next? If the vote for an impeachment trial against her goes unimpeded through the Senate, Rousseff will have to step down for six months while she's being investigated.
Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer would temporarily take the reins until November, when the process would return to a special Senate committee.
At that point, Rousseff would have 20 days to present her defense. Following that, the committee would vote on a final determination and then present it for a vote in the full Senate.
If the motion is approved by a two-thirds majority, Rousseff would be officially removed from office.
Attempts to derail impeachment fail
Cunha, who first opened the proceedings against Rousseff, is also facing corruption charges and was removed from his post as president of the lower house by the Supreme Court last week.
In an attempt to suspend the impeachment proceedings, Attorney General Jose Eduardo Cardozo filed an appeal with the Supreme Court late Tuesday, accusing Cunha of manipulating the impeachment process through misuse of power.
"He acted, shamelessly, to retaliate against the President, her government and her party ... it was a clear act of vengeance," Cardozo said. "This decision (referring to impeachment) should be annulled."
This came after Cunha's interim substitute, Waldir Maranhao, said he wanted to annul the impeachment process earlier this week. The move was criticized and quickly dismissed, leading Maranhao to revoke his decision in an open letter.