Dilma
Rousseff Calls for Mobilizations to Overturn Coup
By teleSur
May 13,
2016 "Information
Clearing House"
- "teleSur"
-
Ousted
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on
Thursday called on Brazilians to defend their
country's democracy and mobilize against the
coup that saw her suspended from office.
“I call for
the people to remain mobilized, together, in peace …
It is a fight we are going to win, it depends on all
of us, let’s show the world the millions of people
who defend democracy in our country,” said Rousseff
in her first comments from the presidential palace
since the country's Senate voted to proceed with
impeachment proceedings.
Rousseff,
who as a young activist was arrested and tortured
for her efforts to organize against the military
dictatorship that previously ruled Brazil, said she
“never thought I would have to fight against another
coup in our country.”
The ousted
president walked out of the presidential palace to
a crowd of thousands of anti-coup and pro-democracy
demonstrators.
“I am ready
to resist through all legal means,” Rousseff told
the crowd who answered with chants pledging to
resist as well.
“Over the
course of my life, like all women, I confronted many
challenges, now what hurts most is this situation
that I’m living now, the pain of injustice," said
Rousseff.
She thanked
all those who had been marching to denounce the coup
in the lead up to the Senate's vote on Wednesday.
“I am
certain that together we are going to remain united,
mobilized, and in peace," concluded Rousseff.
Rousseff Dissolves Government
The ousted
president dissolved her government after the Senate
voted to proceed with an impeachment trial,
requiring her to relinquish power for a period of
180 days, teleSUR's correspondent in Brazil Andre
Vieira reported.
Rousseff
condemned the actions of the Congress, which she
called a “coup” against her government, she also
said she would “fight with every legal instrument at
my disposal to ensure I complete my mandate on Dec.
31, 2018.”
Her vice
president, Michel Temer,
became the interim president once he received
notification from the Senate that the impeachment
trial would proceed.
Social
movement leaders have pledged to remain in
a state of permanent mobilization, according to
Guilherme Boulos, national coordinator of the
Homeless Workers Movement.
Widespread
protests are expected on Thursday calling for the
arrest of Eduardo Cunha, the former speaker of the
lower house of Congress who spearheaded
the impeachment process against the president, and
for the ouster of government of Michel Temer, which
assumed power after Rousseff's ouster.
“There are
two main ideas: first, to denounce the institutional
coup … and demand the departure of Temer: he was
elected to be vice president, not president. Second,
ask for the arrest of Eduardo Cunha, whose
corruption is proven," said Laryssa Sampaio from the
Popular Youth Uprising, which is organizing
protests.
See
also -
The Coup Plot That Seeks to Oust Brazil's
President
By
teleSur
"For Russia, Brazil is an important
foreign partner in Latin America and the
world," added foreign ministry
spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spoke
out Wednesday against the efforts to
oust Rousseff, pinning the move on
"foreign interference."
"For Russia, Brazil is an important
foreign partner in Latin America and
the world," added foreign ministry
spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Russia and Brazil have an important
relationship and are members of the
influencial BRICS group.
In 2015
a document
reported in various Russian news agencies addrssed
the possibility of U.S. intelligence agency
involvement in the parliamentary coup against
President Dilma Rousseff. "It is quite possible that
the CIA is involved in the plan to stage riots in
Brazil nationwide,” the Russian news outlets said in
a 2015 report.
One
article by Pravda explains that over the past few
years, the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa) have become a significant
geopolitical threat to the interests of the United
States.
The report
added that one of Washington's biggest worries is
Rousseff's support for creating a new world reserve
currency, as well as the threat to the U.S. dollar
posed by the BRICS.
“The
reasons, for which Washington wants to get rid of
Dilma Rousseff, are easy to understand,” Sputnik
wrote. “She signed the agreement about the
establishment of the (BRICS) New Development Bank
with the initial registered capital worth US$100
billion reserve fund, as well as additional US$100
billion.”
The United
States government was also concerned by the
construction of a 5,600 kilometer-long (about 3,200
miles) fiber-optic telecommunications system across
the Atlantic to Europe initiated by Rousseff in
October 2014. The new communication system would
guarantee protection against foreign espionage, and
would undermine the U.S.-backed communications
monopolies. Telebras president told the local media
that the project would be developed and implemented
without the participation of any U.S. company.
Rousseff
has also angered Washington by blocking the return
to Brazil of major U.S. oil and mining companies,
looking to China for investment instead. The United
States has been looking to shore up its stakes in
natural resources in Latin America, as indicated by
the WikiLeaks revelation that Hillary Clinton
pressured Mexico to privatize its oil industry when
she was U.S. Secretary of State.
Sputnik
noted that the May 2013 visit by U.S. Vice President
Joe Biden met Brazil to try to persuade Rousseff to
allow U.S. companies to access oil fields - a
proposal denied by the Brazilian president. In the
period after Biden's visit, protests erupted across
the South American country and her rating dropped
from 70 percent to 30 percent.
“During
this period, the Americans were consistently
destroying Rousseff's regime through other protests.
They included large-scale protests against excessive
costs on the World Cup and insufficient funding of
social welfare programs and health care,” Sputnik
noted.
Also
immediately after Biden's visit, reports attempted
to link Rousseff in the so-called “Car Wash” scandal
involving the state-run oil company, Petrobras.
“All of a
sudden, the Brazilians forgot that the Workers'
Party had taken around 30 percent of the population
out of poverty with the help of public support
programs. Hunger and illiteracy became history. Was
it became of short memory? No, as the CIA knows very
well how to brainwash people through subordinate
media,” Sputnik stated.
In an
interview with teleSUR however, Rousseff denied U.S.
involvement in her country's political crisis. “The
U.S. has stayed away from the Brazilian process,”
maintained the Brazilian leader, despite reports
that opposition figures recently met in Washington.
Recently,
Venezuelan journalist Jose Vicente Rangel alleged
U.S. intelligence agencies had sent about 500 agents
to Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador
and Cuba, with the sole purpose to destabilizing
their governments.
By
teleSur
"For Russia, Brazil is an important
foreign partner in Latin America and the
world," added foreign ministry
spokesperson Maria Zakharova
The Russian Foreign Ministry spoke
out Wednesday against the efforts to
oust Rousseff, pinning the move on
"foreign interference."
"For Russia, Brazil is an important
foreign partner in Latin America and
the world," added foreign ministry
spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Russia and Brazil have an important
relationship and are members of the
influencial BRICS group.
In 2015
a document
reported in various Russian news agencies addrssed
the possibility of U.S. intelligence agency
involvement in the parliamentary coup against
President Dilma Rousseff. "It is quite possible that
the CIA is involved in the plan to stage riots in
Brazil nationwide,” the Russian news outlets said in
a 2015 report.
One
article by Pravda explains that over the past few
years, the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa) have become a significant
geopolitical threat to the interests of the United
States.
The report
added that one of Washington's biggest worries is
Rousseff's support for creating a new world reserve
currency, as well as the threat to the U.S. dollar
posed by the BRICS.
“The
reasons, for which Washington wants to get rid of
Dilma Rousseff, are easy to understand,” Sputnik
wrote. “She signed the agreement about the
establishment of the (BRICS) New Development Bank
with the initial registered capital worth US$100
billion reserve fund, as well as additional US$100
billion.”
The United
States government was also concerned by the
construction of a 5,600 kilometer-long (about 3,200
miles) fiber-optic telecommunications system across
the Atlantic to Europe initiated by Rousseff in
October 2014. The new communication system would
guarantee protection against foreign espionage, and
would undermine the U.S.-backed communications
monopolies. Telebras president told the local media
that the project would be developed and implemented
without the participation of any U.S. company.
Rousseff
has also angered Washington by blocking the return
to Brazil of major U.S. oil and mining companies,
looking to China for investment instead. The United
States has been looking to shore up its stakes in
natural resources in Latin America, as indicated by
the WikiLeaks revelation that Hillary Clinton
pressured Mexico to privatize its oil industry when
she was U.S. Secretary of State.
Sputnik
noted that the May 2013 visit by U.S. Vice President
Joe Biden met Brazil to try to persuade Rousseff to
allow U.S. companies to access oil fields - a
proposal denied by the Brazilian president. In the
period after Biden's visit, protests erupted across
the South American country and her rating dropped
from 70 percent to 30 percent.
“During
this period, the Americans were consistently
destroying Rousseff's regime through other protests.
They included large-scale protests against excessive
costs on the World Cup and insufficient funding of
social welfare programs and health care,” Sputnik
noted.
Also
immediately after Biden's visit, reports attempted
to link Rousseff in the so-called “Car Wash” scandal
involving the state-run oil company, Petrobras.
“All of a
sudden, the Brazilians forgot that the Workers'
Party had taken around 30 percent of the population
out of poverty with the help of public support
programs. Hunger and illiteracy became history. Was
it became of short memory? No, as the CIA knows very
well how to brainwash people through subordinate
media,” Sputnik stated.
In an
interview with teleSUR however, Rousseff denied U.S.
involvement in her country's political crisis. “The
U.S. has stayed away from the Brazilian process,”
maintained the Brazilian leader, despite reports
that opposition figures recently met in Washington.
Recently,
Venezuelan journalist Jose Vicente Rangel alleged
U.S. intelligence agencies had sent about 500 agents
to Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador
and Cuba, with the sole purpose to destabilizing
their governments.
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