In Brazil, the Senate has begun hearing witnesses in the impeachment trial of suspended President Dilma Rousseff. Rousseff’s hopes for resuming her presidency are waning as the process enters the final stage.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ricardo Lewandowski is leading the process. He rejected several attempts by Rousseff’s lawyers to suspend or annul the process.
Pro-Rousseff senators questioned the legitimacy of those judging her. Opposition senators accused Rousseff supporters of playing tricks to delay the process.
Judgment Rousseff in Brazil’s Senate began with a heated argument and shouting. It was triggered by the words of one of Rousseff’s key allies questioning whether her colleagues—many facing corruption allegations of their own—were in a position to judge the suspended president.
“What moral high ground does this Senate have to judge the president of the Republic? I want to know if you have the high ground. Half of the senators here don’t,” said Gleisi Hoffman, senator of Worker’s Party, Brazil.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Ricardo Lewandowski, who is also presiding over the impeachment process, decided to suspend the session so senators could calm down.
Only in the afternoon did the actual hearing of witnesses begin. The senators will hear the testimony of two witnesses for the prosecution and another six requested by the defense. The first to speak was a servant from the Brazil’s Federal Court of Auditors, who said Rousseff did commit fiscal crimes.
The witness testimonies are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, but the hearings could go into the weekend to make sure there will be no more delays in the impeachment process. However, analysts say they do not expect anything they have to say will change the outcome of the senators’ ultimate vote.
“I believe the senators, they have already decided their votes before the witnesses process. But I believe it’s really important this moment for the Brazilian population to understand how important it is for democracy to follow the legal process,” said Prof. Creomar De Souza, Catholic University of Brasilia.
On Monday, Rousseff will come to the Senate floor herself to deliver a statement of up to 30 minutes before undergoing questioning by senators. On Tuesday, the Senate will open the voting session which is likely to confirm the removal of Rousseff and her Worker’s Party from power.
