Brazilian legislative committee votes to impeach President

(Vatican Radio) A Committee of Brazil's lower House of Congress has voted to impeach President Dilma Rousseff.

James Blears reports the 38-27 vote recommending impeachment, doesn't bode well for the vote proper later this month.

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The vote to impeach, by the 65 member Lower House Congressional Committee, comes as a bitter pill to swallow for President Dilma Rousseff, but not as a complete surprise. The crucial vote will be on April 18th, by the entire 513 assembled members of the lower house. It would need 342 votes for the issue to be on passed to the Senate, which would then take the final and fateful decision.

Additionally, Brazil's Vice President Michel Temer has apologized for accidently releasing a recorded speech, with him assuming power as acting President, appealing for calm and for reason. But he himself could also be facing impeachment charges.

The bribery scandal enveloping state petroleum company Petrobras, and a plummeting economy, are major aggravating factors in all this.  President Dilma Rousseff is herself facing accusations that she manipulated government statistics to hide the huge and growing national deficit in order to get re-elected.

President Rousseff, who denies all wrong doing, is calling these actions an attempted coup against a democratically elected Presidnet. The question now is whether she can avoid impeachment, or whether she will resign if impeachment appears likely.