60% Of Brazil's Lower House Plans To Vote For Impeachment

04/08/2016 - 08h48

The majority of state congressmen have revealed they plan to vote in favour of the impeachment of President Dilma Rouseff. The vote should take place before the end of next week.

In a survey carried out by Datafolha between March 21 and April 7, 60% of MPs said they would vote against the PT member remaining in office.

However, this percentage is not sufficient for the motion to pass: taking this figure as a percentage of the 513 total voters, votes in favour would total 308, 34 less than the 342 needed (67% of MPs) to take the motion to the senate.

In the opposing camp, 21% of congressmen claimed they would vote against impeachment. In real figures, the number of MPs supporting the President's continued tenure totals 108, which is 63 votes less than the 171 needed for Dilma to remain in power.

Since neither side has sufficient votes for a clear victory, the outcome of the trial weighs heavily with the 18% of parliamentarians still undecided. Roughly 92 congressmen have not committed either way, either because they cannot come to a decision, or because they are reluctant to declare their position.

Earlier in the year a collegiate was formed to analyse the call for impeachment in the Lower House. Not long after, on March 17, the government lost the support of their biggest ally, the PMDB.

Datafolha asked senators which way they would vote should the case come to be tried in the senate. Again things look bleak for Dilma: 55% of senators confirm they want her out, 24% will vote to keep her in.

As an alternative to impeachment, many congressmen (55%) and senators (48%) say they would support Dilma's resignation.

Translated by GILLIAN SOPHIE HARRIS

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	Evaristo Sá/AFP
	Dilma Rousseff waves during the event Women in Defense of Democracy at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia