Professor Elam

Monday April 18, 2016

BRAZIL LOWER HOUSE VOTES TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT

Brazil’s lower house of congress voted to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, report Paul Kiernan and Reed Johnson, although many of the president’s supporters are outraged that some of the lawmakers pushing hardest to impeach her have been caught up in a graft probe centered on state oil company Petróleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras. House Speaker Eduardo Cunha has been charged with pocketing millions in funds diverted from Petrobras.

It remains to be seen whether Ms. Rousseff’s likely successor, Vice President Michel Temer, will be able to tackle major changes that economists say Brazil needs, as several high-ranking members of his party are caught up in the Petrobras scandal. The political fight now moves to the Senate, which first must decide whether to accept the case. If Ms. Rousseff loses that ballot, she would be forced to step down for a maximum of 180 days while on trial. Mr. Temer would take over during that period. A two-thirds senate vote for impeachment would be required to permanently remove Ms. Rousseff from office. Mr. Temer then would serve out the remainder of her term.

Source WSJ Energy Report

Actually this is encouraging. Usually whoever is pocketing money in Central or South America slips out of office in tact.This may be one of the first times that a major scandal like Petrobas is exposed and the culprits are held responsible.

Mary O'Grady on the Impeachment Drama. 

Mary writes on Central and South America on Mondays in the WSJ. It is the best coverage of the area I know of in the least amount of space.