Brazil Senate moves forward with Rousseff's impeachment

Senate President Renan Calheiros announced his decision to move forward President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment process in the Senate, ignoring the decision of acting lower house speaker Waldir Maranhão, who annulled the session at the Chamber of Deputies in which the case was approved.

Calheiros considered Maranhão's act as a "joke with democracy" and demanded to proceed with reading at the Senate floor of the report from the special committee, in favor of impeachment, approved by the Chamber of Deputies. After the report is read, a 48-hour deadline begins for senators to vote on the case. If approved, the president would immediately step aside. The voting was scheduled for Wednesday (May 11).

Deputy Waldir Maranhão, who took office after Eduardo Cunha was suspended, accepted the arguments presented by Attorney-General José Eduardo Cardozo, who understood that the voting process suffered from defects, which would annul it.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta