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Dilma Rousseff on Impeachment

Victim of political coup (strong)

TL;DR

Dilma Rousseff has consistently argued that her 2016 impeachment was an unconstitutional political maneuver, not a legal necessity.

Key Points

  • She was formally impeached on August 31, 2016, by the Federal Senate for responsibility crimes and administrative misconduct concerning the federal budget.

  • Rousseff testified before the Senate on August 29, 2016, proclaiming her innocence and explicitly decrying the process as an 'explicit blackmail' and a 'coup'.

  • Although found guilty of budget law violations, she was acquitted in a separate vote of being barred from public office for eight years, allowing her to run again.

Summary

Dilma Rousseff maintained that the impeachment proceedings that led to her removal from office were illegitimate, characterizing the entire process as a political coup rather than a legitimate response to her alleged wrongdoing. The formal charges against her centered on criminal administrative misconduct and disregarding the federal budget through practices like "fiscal pedaling"—using state-owned banks to finance social programs without congressional approval to mask shortfalls. She denied committing any illicit act and argued that these maneuvers, while potentially technically questionable, were comparable to actions by previous presidents, suggesting the charges were applied selectively due to a lack of political support and an effort by political opponents to unseat her.

Her defense further highlighted that many senators voting on her removal faced their own corruption investigations, emphasizing the hypocrisy of the proceeding. She also contended that misogyny and a conservative backlash against her progressive policies contributed to her downfall. Rousseff compared her situation to the military coup of 1964 and the torture she suffered under the dictatorship, framing the impeachment as a new attack on Brazilian democracy by political forces who opposed her agenda and the 54 million votes that elected her.

Key Quotes

I would be grateful if Mr. Michel Temer would no longer seek to clean up his undisputed condition of coup plotter using my undisputed personal and political honesty. It is precisely this quality that despises, rejects, and repudiates an evaluation that comes from someone who articulated one of the greatest political betrayals of recent times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dilma Rousseff claimed that the impeachment was not based on genuine criminal acts but was a political maneuver disguised as a legal process. The formal justification cited her administration's use of 'fiscal pedaling,' which involved accounting maneuvers with state banks to mask budget deficits.

No, she consistently proclaimed her innocence, stating that her conscience was clear and she had not committed a crime. She argued that the charges were exaggerated and politically motivated, pointing out that her accusers often faced more serious allegations.

She strongly described the impeachment as a political 'coup' orchestrated by opponents who could not accept the 2014 election results. She also drew parallels between the impeachment and the political persecution she faced under the military dictatorship.

Sources5

* This is not an exhaustive list of sources.