With less than 100 days from the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games, the host nation of Brazil has been dealt another blow of uncertainty. As a follow-up to the developing story we’ve been tracking since March, the Brazilian Senate has voted to proceed with the impeachment of current Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.
In a vote of 55-22, the Senate has handed Rousseff a temporary suspension during which a trial will be conducted to decide whether the 2nd term president should be permanently removed from office. Rousseff is accused of manipulating government monetary accounts in order to disguise a growing national deficit.
Rousseff’s suspension stands at 180 days, which, with the Olympic Games now just 85 days away, means the Brazilian president will no longer be attending the Olympics in an official capacity. Vice President Michel Temer has reportedly been handed the task of opening the Games.
This latest ordeal is just one of many obstacles Rio organizers have faced since having been awarded the Games back in 2009. In addition to pollution concerns, worker strikes, sluggish ticket sales and, most recently, the Zika virus, Brazil is facing its worst economic recession of the past 25 years.
Nonetheless, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach remains optimistic, and is quoted as saying, “There is strong support for the Olympic Games in Brazil, and we look forward to working with the new government to deliver successful Games in Rio this summer.”
Lucky Bill was impeached after Atlanta & not before. It’s all in the timing folks .
What the difference here is that i think might help explain some things about Brazil. I read that Diima herself was tortured under the former regime . I mean living with Hill was bad , sure , but …..
This might actually help the Olympics. I’m glad they got rid of that Corrupt man.
Oops, Woman*
If you think getting rid of her will “clean” corruption you are quite naive.. More than 50% of the congress have problems with law because of Corruption or being companies/big ruralists pockets and receiving illegal campaign money. The current head of Senate has near 10 law problems, head of congress were on almost every Global Scandal list.. and the list goes on and on..
I never said it would “Clean” corruption. I merely stated that she was corrupt, and that there was a chance that this might help Brazil a tiny bit, before the Olympics.
Classic Brazil
Unfinished venues and transportation systems, economic recession, Zika, rising crime and massive corruption, polluted water, political instability.
I don’t now how this Brazillian “storm” could become any more “perfect.”
IOC officials must be ruing the day back in 2009 when Rio was selected.