Brazil Senate Votes in Favor of Dilma Rousseff Impeachment Trial

President steps down until trial ends; vice president assumes her post.

Brazil’s Senate voted early Thursday to put President Dilma Rousseff on trial for allegations that she illegally manipulated fiscal accounts, making her the second leader since democracy was restored in 1985 to be forced to step down amid impeachment proceedings.

In a marathon voting session that began the previous day, 55 senators voted to move forward with the impeachment process while 22 voted against. As a result of the outcome, which was widely expected, Ms. Rousseff has to step down immediately to stand trial, which could take up to 180 days.

She could return to office if less than two-thirds of the Senate vote to convict her. But few believe the unpopular president will survive the process.

Michel Temer , vice president until early Thursday, assumed the role of acting president for up to six months during the trial and would finish out her term through the end of 2018 if she is convicted.

Ms. Rousseff is being tried on charges that she illegally moved money between state-controlled entities to make her government’s budget deficit appear smaller than it really was.

She denies wrongdoing and came out fighting Thursday in a defiant speech to the nation, in which she vowed to fight the charges and accused her foes of trying to “sink the country into a permanent state of political instability with the goal of taking power.”

But many have questioned whether the charges against Ms. Rousseff are serious enough to warrant her ouster when many of the legislators leading the impeachment push have been implicated in a massive corruption scandal centered on Petróleo Brasileiro SA, known as Petrobras.

“Dilma’s impeachment is being carried out according to the institutions, but it’s also showing that they all function very badly,” said Leonardo Avritzer, a political scientist at the Federal University of Minas Gerais.

Many Brazilians believe the impeachment proceedings are being fueled more by political factors than by any legal infraction by Ms. Rousseff.

That impression has been validated by public remarks from some of Ms. Rousseff’s opponents.

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