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Brazil's Senate leader critizes party's exit from coalition

Xinhua, April 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) Senator Renan Calheiros on Thursday criticized his party's decision to leave the government, calling the move "rushed" and "unwise."

The PMDB, Brazil's largest party, announced on Tuesday in a packed leadership meeting that it was leaving the coalition which backs President Dilma Rousseff's administration.

"This PMDB meeting was rushed. It is obvious that it caused stark reactions on all sides ... This means it was an unwise move," said Calheiros, who is also the president of Senate.

In Tuesday's meeting, the PMDB took just a few minutes to decide unanimously that its six ministers in Rousseff's cabinet and all other party members with government appointments must resign immediately.

The PMDB's exit cripples Rousseff's fight against the ongoing impeachment proceedings against her in Congress, which could put Vice President Michel Temer, leader of the PMDB, in the presidential seat.

"When you take radical positions, you stop defending national interests. More attention is being given to power struggles than to defending values, such as democracy, liberty and governance," said Calheiros.

The Senate president also said that he did not consider that the PMDB would oppose the Rousseff government should it stay in power.

"I do not think the PMDB will lead an opposition movement in Congress, under any circumstances," he said.

Rousseff has been facing impeachment proceedings for allegedly manipulating government accounts to hide the depth of Brazil's recession during her 2014 re-election.

She has denied any wrongdoing and called the impeachment effort a coup to oust her ruling Workers' Party. Endi