Temer Orders Military to Surround Residence of Dilma Rousseff

Senate-imposed Interim President Michel Temer has deployed military troops to cordon off the area surrounding the Palácio da Alvorada, residence of the suspended President Dilma Rousseff,  Brazilian Senate Vice President Jorge Vianna said on Thursday. 

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Vianna said there’s a checkpoint at the Palácio do Jaburu, where Temer currently resides, and which is very close to Rousseff' residence in the capital of Brasilia.  

“Anyone visiting President Dilma has to go through a checkpoint installed at Jaburu, with several heavily armed military (personnel)… I just made a visit to President Dilma. I was with the president of the National Congress. And we had to identify ourselves and wait a long time before getting the access,” Vianna said. 

“This means that the elected president is under siege? What country is this? What provisional government is this?” the senator added. 

Temer assumed the post of interim president last week following the suspension of President Dilma Rousseff, who is now facing a Senate impeachment trial. 

Rousseff, along with millions of others across the country, regards the move as a coup waged by the right-wing opposition.

Despite formerly chairing the oil giant Petrobras — from which several former and current officials are linked to the corruption scandal dubbed “car wash” —  Rousseff has not been formally tied to the scandal and there are no formal charges against the socialist leader.