Backgrounder: Chronology of Brazilian president Rousseff's impeachment process

The Brazilian Senate began Thursday the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff for alleged fiscal wrongdoing.

The trial against Brazil's first woman president is part of a political crisis that has wrecked Brazil since the Workers' Party (PT) candidate was reelected to a second term in 2014 with a less than robust mandate.

The following is a chronology of events leading up to the trial.

-- October 2014: The PT candidate won reelection in a tightly contested runoff, defeating her conservative opponent Aecio Neves of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). However, her relatively slight lead led the opposition to contest the outcome. The electoral court confirmed Rousseff's win.

-- January 2015: Rousseff began her second four-year term by making concessions to the vocal opposition, designating conservative economist Joaquim Levy finance minister. Levy cut public spending in a bid to address fiscal and economic challenges, much to the dismay of Rousseff's power base.

-- February 2015: Eduardo Cunha, of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) and an ally of Brazil's Vice President Michel Temer, was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies (lower house).

Maria das Gracas Silva Foster, president of the state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileno Sociedad Anonima (Petrobras), resigned following revelations of corruption uncovered by Operation Car Wash, an investigation into widespread graft involving company executives and lawmakers.

-- March 2015: Mass protests took place in the South American country's main cities against corruption in government, and a campaign to impeach Rousseff starts to take shape.

-- May 2015: Political group Free Movement Brazil filed for impeachment, submitting its case to Cunha, the president of the Chamber of Deputies.

-- June 2015: Brazil's Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), which has the power to audit fiscal statements, presented the government with a deadline to explain delays in payments to state banks, or what was called "tax pedaling" or "fiscal pedaling."

-- July 2015: An informant for Operation Car Wash accused Cunha of receiving millions of reais (Brazil's currency) in bribes from Petrobras. Cunha announced his split from the government.

-- August 2015: Opinion polls showed 71 percent of those surveyed disapprove of Rousseff's government at a time when Brazil's economy was entering into a recession and anti-government demonstrations have resurfaced.

-- September 2015: The government made its case before the TCU, concluding there was no violation of Brazil's Fiscal Responsibility Law.

Standard and Poor's lowered its credit rating and Brazil loses its "investment grade" status.

-- October 2015: Rousseff restructured the coalition government with a new majority in Congress.

The TCU recommended Congress reject the government's explanations regarding tax pedaling and a group of lawyers presents a petition to impeach the president for fiscal irregularities.

-- Dec. 2, 2015: The ruling party faction in the Chamber of Deputies voted in favor of investigating Cunha for suspected corruption. Later the same day, Cunha authorized the lawyers' impeachment petition, officially starting the impeachment process against Rousseff.

The Federal Supreme Court (STF) outlined the steps Congress must follow and Vice President Temer delivered a letter to Rousseff confirming he would maintain "institutional" ties to the government.

-- Dec. 16, 2015: Finance Minister Levy stepped down; Brazil lost its "investment grade" status from credit rating agency Fitch.

-- March 4, 2016: Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), Rousseff's mentor, is taken into police custody for questioning regarding the Petrobras case.

-- March 13, 2016: Mass anti-government protests fueled by the opposition called for impeachment.

-- March 17, 2016: The Chamber of Deputies formed a Special Commission to analyze the process. Lula da Silva was named a minister but the justice system suspended the appointment.

-- March 18, 2016: Mass pro-government protests took place.

-- March 22, 2016: Rousseff claimed the impeachment process was in effect a "coup d'etat" to seize power.

-- March 29, 2016: Vice President Mickel Temer's political party, the PMDB, abandoned the government coalition, followed by other smaller parties.

-- April 12, 2016: The Chamber of Deputies' Special Commission recommended impeachment, citing "criminal responsibility" on the part of Rousseff.

-- April 17, 2016: The full Chamber of Deputies approved the impeachment process, and the proposal passes to the Senate.

-- April 25, 2016: The Senate installed a Special Commission to analyze the impeachment case.

-- May 5, 2016: The STF removed Cunha from his position for obstructing the investigation into his alleged corruption.

-- May 6, 2016: The Senate's Special Commission recommended the impeachment process go ahead.

-- May 9, 2016: The Chamber of Deputies' Interim President Waldir Maranhao canceled the chamber's support for an impeachment process and later revoked his own decision. However, the Senate decided to continue with the issue.

-- May 11, 2016: The Senate voted to hold an impeachment trial, and suspended the president for up to 180 days, during which the trial must take place.

-- June: Three ministers in Temer's interim government were forced to resign following allegations of corruption.

-- June 6: The special Senate commission drew up an impeachment timetable.

-- June 8: Published poll showed 61 percent of Brazilians believe impeachment process was "legitimate," and 50 percent support early elections.

-- June 27: Senate investigators concluded Rousseff played no role in tampering with the fiscal accounts.

-- Aug. 2: Despite their findings, the special Senate commission's point man Antonio Anastasia claimed Rousseff "violated the Constitution."

-- Aug. 9: His report was approved by a vote of 59 to 21, paving the way for the impeachment trial.

-- Aug. 25-26: The trial will hear from both the defense and prosecution.

-- Aug. 29: Rousseff is to be cross-examined by the Senate.

-- Aug. 30: Senators will vote on whether to impeach the president or not, in a process that may extend into the early hours of Wednesday, Aug. 31.

At least 54 of the 81 senators must vote in favor of impeaching Rousseff to strip her of office, and bar her from holding elected office for a period of eight years. Otherwise, she can immediately resume the presidency. Endit