TENSE

Brazil Panel Votes to Impeach Rousseff

Full vote in lower house expected this weekend.

A Brazilian congressional committee voted in favor of impeaching President Dilma Rousseff, sending the recommendation to the full session of the lower house of congress. An all-day heated debate among the 65-member special committee resulted in 38 lawmakers voting yes while 27 voted no. Rousseff faces allegations of violating Brazil’s financial-accountability laws by using loans from state banks to mask a budget hole. She has denied wrongdoing. Representatives from the full Chamber of Deputies will begin debating the impeachment question Friday. The final vote is expected Sunday. If the impeachment is approved by at least two-thirds of the 513 members, it will be sent to the senate, where the president Brazil’s supreme court will lead the process.