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President Dilma Rousseff, part of nationwide protests calling for her impeachment, at Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo's financial centre, Brazil, August 16, 2015.

Observers say recent events have increased the chances of Brazil’s president being forced fromoffice.

The experts are saying that President Dilma Rousseff could face impeachment. Rousseff has longbeen accused of illegal financial activities involving the government-operated energy companyPetrobras.

Brazilian courts say she used government money in her presidential re-election campaign last year. In addition, many Brazilians are unhappy with government efforts to strengthen the country’seconomy.

In March, an estimated one million Brazilians joined protests to demand the president’s removalfrom office. The newspaper O Globo reported that the biggest protest was in Sao Paulo, wheremore than 100,000 demonstrators gathered. They protested against higher taxes, poor publicservices and rising fuel prices.

Last month, Brazilian courts said they would launch an investigation of the president's electioncampaign accounts from last year. Political observer Lucas de Aragão described the court’s decisionas the "most serious challenge to Rousseff.” He added that “it alleges she doctored governmentaccounts to allow for more spending in the run-up to her re-election a year ago."

Aragão noted that any citizen can present a request for Dilma Rousseff's impeachment to theBrazilian House of Representatives. But the request must be for a legal reason, such as the illegaluse of money for a campaign or involvement in the Petrobras scandal.

The president of the House, Eduardo Cunha, would need to approve the move.

If Cunha agrees, the request would go to the 513-member National Congress. They would have tovote on its legitimacy. For the process to continue, two-thirds of the Congress, or 342Congressmen, would have to vote in support of the request. The process then would move on to Brazil’s Senate.

Two-thirds of the Senate, or 54 Senators, have to approve the process within 180 days. Duringthat time, the president would be temporarily out of office. If the process is approved, DilmaRousseff would be impeached.

Words in This Story

doctor – v. to change something, especially in order to trick or deceive people

impeach – v. to charge (a public official) with criminal activity while in office

scandal – n. something that is shocking or unacceptable

legitimacy – n. legality; the quality of state of being legal

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