RIO DE JANEIRO, August 25. /TASS/. Brazil’s upper house of parliament, the Federal Senate, has entered the final stage of considering the issue on impeaching suspended President Dilma Rousseff.
The trial of the country’s first female president accused of breaking the budget law opened in Brazil’s capital on Thursday and is broadcast by major TV channels, radio stations and Internet portals.
During the first two days the Senate will hear the witnesses. Both the defense and the prosecution parties will address the senators. Rousseff is expected to give her speech on August 29.
The exact date of the final vote is yet unknown. The decision could be made late on August 30 or early on August 31. A two-thirds majority -54 senators - is needed to support the initiative to remove Rousseff from presidency.
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The suspended president has repeatedly said that she planned to use all the available tools for her defense. "I don’t have any wish to step down. I won’t give them [political opponents] such a gift," she said earlier said in an interview.
Rousseff’s opponents say the impeachment process is motivated by her alleged financial transgressions during the first months of her second term. She is accused of failing to consult with parliament prior to enacting the budget and also delaying payments to state banks. No corruption charges were made against Rousseff.
Rousseff, who took office in 2011, has repeatedly defended her innocence, claiming the impeachment process is politically motivated.