Rousseff loyalists unite to help defeat impeachment attempt

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday allowed four loyalist ministers to temporarily leave their positions and return to the Chamber of Deputies to help in efforts to overturn an impeachment vote on Sunday.

According to the government's gazette, Celso Pansera, minister of Science and Technology, Marcelo Castro, head of Health Department, Mauro Lopes of Civil Aviation from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) and Patrus Ananias, Agriculture Minister, from the Workers' Party will all vote in her favor.

Pansera, Castro and Lopes all rejected the decision by the PMDB to abandon the ruling coalition earlier this month and elected to maintain their positions.

On Wednesday, Rousseff accused Vice President Michel Temer and Chamber of Deputies President Eduardo Cunha of being the heads of "coup" against her. Both men are from the PMDB, a key coalition partner of Rousseff's left-leaning Workers' Party.

The government supporters of Rousseff in the Chamber presented on Thursday a list of 186 deputies and 32 senators which have signed a document vowing "to defend democracy and reject impeachment."

If all these support Rousseff, she would be able to fend off the impeachment attempt.

In a vote scheduled for Sunday, the government will need the support of over one-third of lawmakers, or at least 172 out of 513, to defeat the impeachment attempt.

The supporters said this list came through negotiations begun by former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to save the Rousseff government, according to the ruling party lawmakers.

Furthermore, as the list was presented, Luciana Santos, a deputy from the Brazilian Communist Party, said a number of other deputies would support Rousseff without having signed the pledge.

Debates in the lower house about the impeachment process will begin on Friday morning and run all weekend before the vote on Sunday.

In order for the impeachment process to move on to the Senate, two-thirds of deputies, or 342 out of 513, will have to vote to impeach Rousseff.

Source: XINHUA