Brazil's Supreme Court strikes down President Rousseff's last-ditch attempt to block impeachment

Brazil's Supreme Court voted to strike down a last-ditch attempt by President Dilma Rousseff to stop the impeachment proceedings against her.

Attorney General José Eduardo Cardozo requested an injunction that would suspend the Chamber of Deputies vote on the impeachment this Sunday. The lower house's will make or break the looming impeachment trial against Rousseff, who is now facing plunder charges.

The Court dismissed the motion for injunction in a 8-2 vote.

According to The Guardian, Rousseff is losing the support of her governing coalition, weakening her position in the lower house vote. If the Chamber of Deputies votes in favor of impeachment, the vote will advance to Senate which will then vote on whether or not commencing trial against the president.

A two-thirds vote in the lower house will push the proceedings to the Senate.

According to Al Jazeera, 333 lawmakers are voting in favor of Rousseff's impeachment. 124 are known to block the impeachment, while 56 are still undecided. If the numbers remain unchanged, the president's opponents are only nine votes away from advancing Rousseff's impeachment.

Rousseff's impeachment is gaining momentum, with several Brazilian politicians siding with her impeachment. 

"I'm against all the dubious horse-trading this government does,"  said former Sau Paolo mayor Paulo Maluf.

Rousseff is also facing public resentment, as Brazil plunged into the worst economic crisis in decades under her administration. 

The impeachment proceedings against Rousseff are based on allegations that she manipulated government funds and used them to support her previous campaign. She has since denied any wrongdoing.

President Dilma Rousseff's Workers' Party has warned that the ouster of a democratically elected president will bring chaos in Brazil.

"It's a mistake to think that overthrowing a government will bring stability, peace, security and development," said Worker's Party president Rui Falcao, via Reuters. "Not respecting the popular vote will plunge the country into chaos."

If deposed by impeachment, Vice President Michel Temer will serve out President Rousseff's term until 2018.

Tags

Supreme Court, President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil, President Rousseff impeachment, Chamber of Deputies, Brazil's Congress, Vice President Michel Temer, government

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