Brazil's Coup Government Ignores Leftist Governments' Criticism

Brazil's interim government dismissed criticism by leftist countries in Latin America, including Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia, over the impeachment process of suspended President Dilma Rousseff, who will now face a six-month trial.

The leftist president of El Salvador, Salvador Sanchez, on Saturday added to the regional pressure on Brazil, saying that he would not recognize the interim government and recalled his ambassador, claiming there had been "political manipulation" in Latin America's biggest country.

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The bickering, not rare between leftist leaders and more conservative governments at a time when much of the region is moving to the right — both through democratic elections and less legitimate means — comes as centrist Vice President Michel Temer becomes Brazil's interim president and scrambles to pull the economy out of its worst recession since the 1930s.

Rousseff now faces a Senate trial over alleged irregularities committed by her government's budget. The trial could take up to 180 days and is could lead to her impeachment.

In a statement Friday evening, Brazil's Foreign Ministry said it "emphatically rejects" neighbors "allowing themselves to opine and propagate falsehoods over internal political process."

In a separate statement, the ministry, headed by Jose Serra, a prominent former senator and presidential candidate, criticized the Union of South American Nations, or UNASUR, Secretary-General Ernesto Samper stopped short of calling her ouster a rupture of democratic order and called on the Senate to act prudently and to afford Rousseff due process as it convenes its trial.

Both UNASUR and the Organization of American States have spoken out against the decision by the Brazil's Congress to remove Rousseff from her post.

After Brazil's strongly-worded statements Friday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is also struggling with economic problems and a push to remove him from office, asked his Ambassador to Brazil Alberto Castear to come home to discuss the tensions.

Maduro is among leaders who have condemned her suspension as a "coup."

Rousseff, who is spending the weekend with family in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, has said she could appeal to regional organizations in efforts to discredit the impeachment process. Thus far, however, she has complied with all procedures related to her suspension.