Without Evidence, Senate Pushes For Dilma Rousseff's Dismissal

The Senate Committee in charge of the impeachment process against suspended president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, approved a report Thursday that recommends continuing with the impeachment process which ultimately seeks her permanent dismissal.

RELATED:
Senate Report Clears Rousseff of Budget Manipulation

Rousseff recently said it is illegitimate that the Senate will seek to end her presidency without any proof of illegality, or evidence of corruption during her time as president.

"They have turned my life upside down and they haven’t found anything to connect me to corruption, and they haven’t found any bank accounts in Switzerland,” said Rousseff to El Mundo.

The report, written by the rapporteur of the special committee Antonio Anastasia, accuses Dilma of "violating the Constitution."

The text was approved by 14 votes with 5 voting against and one abstention from the commission's President Raimundo Lira, who only votes in the case of a tie. 

RELATED:
Brazil's Temer 'Buying' Support For Rousseff Impeachment

The final vote to decide on Rousseff’s impeachment is scheduled for next Tuesday. The Senate will only need 54 of the 81 votes from its members for the legal process to continue.

If the committee rules that Rousseff is guilty, Temer will continue to rule Brazil. If acquitted, Rousseff will be reinstated into the presidency and Temer will return to the vice presidency position. Analysts believe the latter would resign before holding that position.

Rousseff has branded the senate-imposed interim president Temer a "traitor" and "thief" and accused him of "conspiring" in the coup attempt. Last week, she also announced she would not be attending the Olympic Games inauguration ceremony scheduled for August 5.