Brazil's president fights for her political life

Brazilian President DilmaRousseff is fighting for her political life in Congress, thecourts and streets this week, but her path to survival has gotever narrower, analysts said today.

Rousseff faces impeachment proceedings over alleged fiscalmismanagement, while the Supreme Electoral Court isconsidering possible campaign funding irregularities thatcould end up annulling her 2014 reelection.

Those threats had appeared to be receding in the last fewweeks. Even Rousseff's dismal popularity ratings were creepingup.

But on Friday, what analyst Gabriel Petrus called "anatomic bomb" was thrown at her leftist Workers' Party with thebrief detention of Rousseff's mentor and charismaticpredecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Lula, as he is universally known, is accused of takingbribes from companies involved in the gargantuan embezzlementand kickbacks scheme at state oil company Petrobras.

And the extraordinary scene of a powerful ex-presidentbeing taken away by police, backed up by officers incamouflage with rifles, brought all the simmering tensions toa boil.

Now, with the relative lull forgotten, both the oppositionand pro-Rousseff camps are promising to take to the streets,while opposition parties in Congress are licking their lipsover a revitalized impeachment push.

Petrus, at the Brasilia-based consultancy Barral M JorgeAssociates, said both Lula and Rousseff have their backs upagainst the wall -- and if necessary will go down swinging.

"The Workers' Party will play a winner-take-all strategy-- everything or nothing," Petrus said. "I think both sidesare preparing for that battle."The Workers' Party will try to show its muscle with aseries of demonstrations announced in big cities, tomorrow,March 18 and March 31.

But analysts believe the turnout will be dwarfed byopposition rallies across the country yesterday -- and thathuge crowds could push hesitant congressional deputies overthe edge in backing the push to impeach Rousseff.

David Fleischer, a political science professor at theUniversity of Brasilia, said that prosecutors are "closing thecircle" around Lula, who denies having taken corrupt money anddenounced the police operation against him on Friday as "ashow.""He's going to be in jail in a few weeks probably,"Fleischer predicted.
Source :AFP