Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff threatens to use trade agreements as leverage against impeachment
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff threatens to use trade agreements as leverage against impeachment ‘coup’
The impeachment proceedings against Rousseff stem from allegations that illegal accounting allowed her administration to maintain government spending to shore up flagging support.
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 23 April, 2016, 12:30pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 23 April, 2016, 12:30pm
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Friday she will appeal to South American trade blocs if she is removed from office, blasting the push to impeach her as a coup and a naked attempt by Brazil’s elite to snatch power back from her Worker’s Party.
Speaking to reporters, Rousseff said both the Mercosur and Unasur trade blocs have democracy clauses that she will invoke if there should be what she charged would be “a rupture in democracy” in her country.
She warned her opponents that her impeachment would have “serious consequences for the Brazilian political process”.
“There is no judicial basis for this process of impeachment,” Rousseff said. “I am not accused of crimes of corruption, diversion of public funds, nor do I have accounts abroad or any accusations of money laundering.”
She said even some members of the opposition are beginning to support her, not necessarily because they agree with her policies, but rather because they see the impeachment push as a threat to Brazil’s democracy.
More:
http://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/1937849/brazilian-president-dilma-rousseff-threatens-use-trade
