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Roundup: Brazilian ruling-party ally distances itself from beleaguered Rousseff

Xinhua, December 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Brazilian Democratic Movement (PMDB), the main ally of the country's ruling Workers' Party (PT), on Wednesday moved to distance itself from President Dilma Rousseff, who is battling impeachment proceedings against her.

The PMDB, a key party in the ruling center-left coalition, replaced its top representative in the Chamber of Deputies, or the lower house of parliament, for being too "close" to Rousseff.

The PMDB replaced Leonaro Picciani with Leonardo Quintao, a legislator known for his opposition to Rousseff, signaling the party's intention to disassociate itself from the president.

The party could also be motivated by a desire to occupy the nation's highest office, since Rousseff's vice president, Michel Temer, a PMDB member, would be acting president during the impeachment trial, and interim president if Rousseff is ousted.

Rousseff has gotten a temporary reprieve from the Supreme Court, which called for a suspension of the impeachment proceedings at least until next Wednesday.

Rousseff's political foe, lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha, launched the impeachment proceedings last week based on an opposition accusation that the president violated budget laws during her re-election campaign last year.

Temer made headlines earlier this week after media published a leaked letter he wrote Monday to Rousseff, complaining his "ornamental" role.

In the letter, Temer said neither he nor the PMDB was ever "consulted on economic or political policies," due to Rousseff's lack of trust in him and the party.

The letter has sparked rumors the PMDB may quit the governing coalition.

Corruption is rife among Brazil's political class, according to website Congresso em Foco (Spotlight on Congress).

A third of the legislators on the impeachment committee -- the group charged with studying whether there is enough evidence to try Rousseff -- are themselves "targets of criminal charges" brought by Brazil's Supreme Court.

Cunha himself is also accused of squirreling away a huge amount of national assets in secret Swiss bank accounts. The money is believed to have been diverted from state oil giant Petrobras. Endi