Brazilian Senate Decides Today the Future of President Rousseff

HAVANA TIMES — The Brazilian Senate began a session this morning in which it will vote on the opening of impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff, reported dpa.

If passed by a majority, Rousseff would be temporarily suspended from office for a maximum of six months and vice-president Michel Temer would assume the presidency.

The special session was opened by the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, who called for “sobriety” and “speed” from his colleagues, who have a maximum of 15 minutes each to explain their vote.

It is presumed that the session will last at least 10 hours.

Local opinion polls conducted among senators indicate that at least 50 are willing to vote for the prosecution of the president, a leader of the Workers Party (PT).

This amount would be nine votes more than the minimum of 41 required to bring on the impeachment process.

If set in motion, at the end of six months the Senate will hold a final session that will be conducted by the president of the Supreme Court, Ricardo Lewandoswki. At that session the senators would vote if the president be acquitted or convicted.  In the latter case she would be dismissed from office.

For this to happen, it would take the favorable votes of at least 54 senators, equivalent to the two-thirds needed.

Today’s vote will be held through electronic panel after at least 60 lawmakers who are enrolled to speak have had the floor.