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The vote whether or not to impeach President Dilma Rousseff has ended in Brazil's Lower House of Congress. Among a total of 513 congressmen, voted in favor of the impeachment. Party leader Jose Guimaraes has conceded defeat, but his party only recognizes this as a temporary defeat.
Rousseff will be suspended from office for up to 180 days as she is sent for trial in the Senate. Vice President Michel Temer will step in and take over the country. Rousseff is accused of manipulating government accounts ahead of her re-election in 2014, which she denies.
If two-thirds of the Senate find her guilty, she will be permanently removed from office. The vote in the Lower House began Sunday afternoon local time, with legislators making their choice one by one.
The impeachment crisis has paralyzed activity in Brazil, with just four months to go before the country is due to host the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The government is also battling an epidemic of the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in newborns.
中文国际网摘编：GAN JADE |
