Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has been removed from office by the nation’s Senate for breaking budgetary laws.

Ms Rousseff fought the allegations, which she said amounted to a coup d’etat.  She argued her right–wing opponents have been trying to remover her from office ever since she was elected.

“From the day after I was elected, several measures were taken to destabilise my government. And you have been systematically making accusations against me,” she said when she defended herself in the Senate on Monday.

The impeachment process has polarised the Latin American country and paralysed its politics for nine months.


Senators voted 61-20 on Wednesday to convict Rousseff for illegally using money from state banks to boost public spending.

In a separate vote however it was decided Rousseff will not be barred from public office.  Under Brazilian law a dismissed president is prevented from holding any government job, even teaching posts at state universities.  

"I quit as Senate President because lobbyists made payments to my mistress. But I'm back, fighting corruption!" pic.twitter.com/SIcCrvthgc

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 31, 2016

Her conservative former Vice President Michel Temer, who has run the country since her suspension in May, will be sworn to serve out the remainder of her term through 2018.
 He has promised to boost Brazil’s economy, which is going through its longest and deepest recession in the past 25 years. 

His critics have already warned that he plans to cut many of the popular social programmes introduced by the Workers’ Party.

– with AAP and agencies