A Brazilian opposition party on Monday filed a petition for the impeachment of President Michel Temer, underlining the growing difficulties facing the center-right leader as he tries to introduce austerity reforms.
The
impeachment demand filed by the PSOL, a small leftist party, was
unlikely to be accepted, so had mostly symbolic significance. The PSOL
argues that Temer committed crimes by allegedly interfering in a
business dispute to aid a friend in his cabinet.
Temer denies any wrongdoing in the affair.
Another impeachment request is expected from the leftist Workers' Party soon.
Temer's
allies control both the lower house and Senate in Congress, meaning
that even if an impeachment petition were ever put to the vote it would
not pass.
However, the development is an
embarrassment to Temer who came to power this year after the bitterly
fought impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff, from the Workers' Party, for breaking government accounting rules.
The
spat also comes as Temer is pushing a 20-year spending freeze as the
first plank in reforms he says will help Brazil recover from its worst
recession in decades. The Senate is slated to vote on the freeze
Tuesday.
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