Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Could Be Ousted from Power in 20 Days

The Chamber of Deputies voted on Sunday to continue the proceedings. The votes in favor exceeded 350 when only 342 were needed.

According to the constitutional deadlines, the Senate must establish a special 21-member committee on April 19-20 to produce a report on the case within 10 working days.

The report will then be sent to the 81-member Senate to decide whether to begin the trial, which could take place around May 10.

If it reaches that point, Rousseff will be immediately suspended for 180 days while the Senate conducts the trial. She will then be replaced by the current Vice President Michel Temer.

During the process, the commission will hear the defense of the president and other witnesses, and then discuss the case in light of accusations involving a series of alleged tax irregularities in the last two years.

The special commission will then create a new report which will again be submitted to the full Senate in a single session headed by the Supreme Court’s president Ricardo Lewandowski to decide Rousseff’s final fate.

If the majority of two-thirds (54 votes) finds the president guilty, Rousseff will have to step down and lose her political rights for eight years. Temer will conclude the remainder of her term which ends on Jan. 1, 2019.

However, if Rousseff is absolved, she will resume her position to complete her term.

Rousseff has allegedly engaged in illegal accounting maneuvers to disguise the widening budget gap in 2014 and 2015, alter budgets through decrees and accumulate debts and contract loans with public banks.