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Crisis in Brazil: Lawmakers Weigh Pros and Cons of Possible Impeachment

© REUTERS / Ueslei MarcelinoLower house members who support the impeachment demonstrate during a session to review the request for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment, at the Chamber of Deputies in Brasilia, Brazil April 15, 2016
Lower house members who support the impeachment demonstrate during a session to review the request for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment, at the Chamber of Deputies in Brasilia, Brazil April 15, 2016 - Sputnik International
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As political turmoil engulfs Brazil after two-thirds of Brazilian lawmakers supported the impeachment of current President Dilma Rousseff, Sputnik spoke with several parliamentarians from opposite sides of the barricades.

Demonstrators take part in a protest demanding the resignation of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, on March 13, 2016 in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil - Sputnik International
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Out of 513 lawmakers in the Brazilian parliament, 342 voted in favor of impeachment. Now the upper house of the parliament is expected to hold another vote to make a decision on the issue.

Below are the opinions of Brazilian parliamentarians, who both argue for and against the impeachment, and how they see the political crisis unfolding in their country.

Anti-Impeachment Voices

"The result of the voting was a huge disappointment for me. I expected a more even political battle. However, this course of action was predictable as the so-called bandwagon effect took place. Undecided parliamentarians began to side with those in favor of a coup and began to join their camp. It's unfortunate that those defending President Rousseff were ignored, when they had to be given a word," parliamentarian Margarida Salomão told Sputnik.

"Obviously, the results are disappointing. We expected a closer fight, but corrupt opposition prevailed. But they only won the first battle. The second battle is just starting. We'll meet on April 18 and 19 in São Paulo. And the people of Brazil will be on the side of their President Dilma Rousseff, they will support her and won't allow a coup to take place," parliamentarian Maria Do Rosário said.

"This is the result of hybrid warfare waged against Brazil since last year and the work of foreign agents who seek to mobilize the Brazilian middle class to support the impeachment. In the near future, we can expect profound changes in fiscal policy and the part of legislation that regulates the offshore oil drilling. The objective of this work is to take Brazil out of the group of nations successfully fighting against the current global hegemony. From the point of view of progress, this is a huge defeat for the Brazilian people," explained Marcos Cordeiro Pires, professor of International Relations and Economics from the University of São Paulo.

Pro-Impeachment Voices

"What happened tonight isn't the defeat of the Workers' Party of President Dilma Rousseff or former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. It's the victory of the Brazilian people. I always told my voters and fellow parliamentarians that if the people of Brazil took to the streets to demand change, we, as the members of the parliament, can't turn our backs to the voices on the streets. People can no longer tolerate when the country is ruled so horribly," parliamentarian Caio Narcio told Sputnik.

People demonstrate in support of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff's appointment of Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as her chief of staff, at Paulista avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil - Sputnik International
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"Initially, the Senate was skeptical of the impeachment, but the social pressure of the last days for the removal of President Dilma Rousseff is gaining momentum and that's why it would be harder for the government to negotiate… For now it's possible to say that during the first stage, the government was unable to secure important votes and block the impeachment, and lost the support of important states," said Denilde Holzhacker, Professor at the Higher School of Advertising and Marketing in São Paulo.

Brazilian Public Divided

The Brazilian public has also become divided into two camps — those who accuse the Rousseff government of being corrupt and ineffectively handling the country's economy.

Pro-government supporters meanwhile believe that the impeachment is a hidden coup attempt against the government. Despite being involved in a corruption scandal, pro-government protesters believe that Rousseff and her predecessor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, have helped to lift many Brazilians out of poverty over the past decade. 

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