Brazil’s Senate removes President Rousseff from office

After an emotionally charged, late-night debate, the Brazilian Senate voted Wednesday to remove suspended President Dilma Rousseff from office for fiscal irregularities, a move she said amounted to an illegal coup.

The 61-20 vote capped a year-long power struggle between Rousseff’s long-governing leftist government and opposition senators and comes less than two weeks after the Rio Olympics, which highlighted Brazil but also put the country’s economic and political woes on international display.

Two hours after the Senate voted to remove her from office, Rousseff addressed a small crowd of supporters in a defiant speech in which she again claimed she was ousted by a “coup d’etat.”

“Hear me well: they think that they have beaten us, but they’re mistaken. We’ll all fight. There will be a firm, untiring and energetic opposition to their government,” she said as women surrounding her applauded.

Read More- USA Today

Image courtesy of USA Today