Brazil’s president under serious threat of impeachment

The most serious attempt to begin impeachment against Brazil’s unpopular president has begun.

Lawyers for the opposition have filed a petition to Congress seeking impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff for allegedly doctoring government accounts in 2014.

Previous attempts have been made, but this one may have more weight as it is based on a federal audit court ruling that her government manipulated its accounts in order to hide the size of the deficit and allow for additional spending just before Rousseff’s slim re-election last year.

It accuses her of signing spending decrees for 820 million reais ($210 million) without the approval of Congress, an impeachable violation of Brazil's budget laws.

Brazil has been in political crisis, compounded by the country’s economic slump, and impeachment proceedings would extend the problems.

The request has to be agreed by the speaker of the lower house, Eduardo Cunha, but he himself is feeling the heat because of corruption allegations against him after the discovery of a Swiss bank account in his name which linked him to the bribery scandal at the state oil company Petrobras.

Rousseff has denied any wrongdoing, claiming her opponents are trying to overthrow her legitimate and democratically elected government.

Polls indicate a 65% majority in favour of impeachment. Many put the blame on her for mismanaging the economy which had been striding ahead and now is in disarray.

Rating agency Fitch last week slapped a BBB-minus status on the country, just a notch above junk.

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