News Analysis: Rousseff's impeachment undermines Latin America's left

The vote in the Brazilian lower house of parliament on Sunday in favor of impeaching left-leaning President Dilma Rousseff has raised the alarm around the Latin American continent about the further weakening of socialism in the region.

The vote is seen as the latest in a string of actions that undermine socialism on the continent.

Venezuelan Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz said Tuesday that Latin America needed to "rebel" against "right-wing attacks...that serve imperialist interests."

Speaking amid celebrations of the 206th anniversary of Venezuela's proclamation of independence, Isturiz said Argentina's former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, Bolivian President Evo Morales, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Brazil's Lula da Silva and Rousseff have all come under right-wing attacks.

The impeachment process being carried out by the right-wing opposition in Brazil is part of a broader movement to restore conservative politics to the region, Isturiz warned.

Many leftist Latin American leaders, including Cuban President Raul Castro, Correa, Morales and Maduro have all spoken up to deplore the "coup against Rousseff".

Leandro Morgenfeld, a professor of political relations at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, shared this feeling when he spoke to Xinhua on Monday.

The analyst, who has written a number of books on relations between the United States and Latin America, thinks Brazil is now seeing a coup.

"It may seem parliamentary but it is still a coup as was seen in Paraguay against President Fernando Lugo in 2012," he said. "Impeachment, without a crime of responsibility, is a coup."

"Rousseff is not accused of corruption in this case, except for having reassigned party funds without authorization from Congress. However, this has been a common practice for governments in Brazil and Argentina. None of this implies a crime. Therefore, this is a coup violating the constitution and the 54 million people who voted for Rousseff in 2014," explained Morgenfeld.

He also found it hypocritical that many Brazilian lawmakers who voted against Rousseff, starting with lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha, are accused of corruption themselves.

"A new type of coup is happening in Latin America, using the name of democracy," the professor said.

Socialists fear that the weakening of the left could favor the region's powerful neighbor, the United States.

"The conservative restoration and attacks by the U.S. to restore its regional hegemony are advancing," said Morgenfeld. Endi