News / Brazil

Rousseff supporters protest in Brasilia against impeachment

Wednesday, 20 April 2016 8:14 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 27 April 2016 11:34 AM ]

President Dilma Rousseff (L) is greeted by her supporters in front of Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on April 19, 2016. ©AFP

Hundreds of people have staged a demonstration in Brasilia in support of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who is facing an impeachment case.

Protesters gathered in front of the presidential palace on Tuesday, bringing flowers for Rousseff.

Demonstrations in support of Rousseff have sprung up across the country after two-thirds of lawmakers in the lower house of congress voted for her impeachment on Sunday.

The proceedings will now be sent to the senate for a vote expected in May. If the senate approves the motion too, Rousseff will have to leave office for 180 days as the impeachment trial proceeds. In such a case, her vice-president-turned-opponent, Michel Temer, would take over.

Rousseff said in a televised speech on Monday that the battle “has just begun” and she will wage a “very long and memorable” fight against the impeachment case.

A child holds a flower during a demonstration in support of President Dilma Rousseff and against her impeachment, at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on April 19, 2016. ©AFP

Recent polls show that over 60 percent of Brazil’s 200 million people back impeaching Rousseff. Her government stands accused of violating fiscal rules to promote her 2014 re-election campaign. She is also allegedly involved in a graft scandal at the state oil company Petrobras, where she was the manager before taking office as president in 2010.

Rousseff’s decision to give her predecessor and ally Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a top position in the cabinet also angered the opposition. Lula is implicated in a corruption case and opponents say the president’s move is aimed at granting him immunity from prosecution.

However, Rousseff has denied the allegations against her as politically-motivated, accusing the opposition of orchestrating a coup.

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