President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil is likely to be kicked out of office based on allegations that she used money from state banks to balance the budget. But that fundamental issue appeared almost an afterthought as lawmakers in the Chamber of Deputies cited a litany of grievances before resoundingly supporting a motion toimpeach her by a vote of 367 to 137.
The case against Ms. Rousseff is about much more than taking liberties in balancing the budget, which other elected officials in Brazil have done without drawing much scrutiny. In essence, it is a referendum on the ruling Workers’ Party, which has been in power since 2003. Ms. Rousseff, who was re-elected in 2014 for a four-year term, is being blamed for the country’s economic crisis and the overlapping corruption investigations that have ensnarled much of Brazil’s political establishment.
The motion to impeach now moves to the Senate, which can approve or reject it with a simple majority. If the Senate votes to impeach Ms. Rousseff next month, she will be forced to step down temporarily while senators consider the allegations against her. If she is found guilty, Vice President Michel Temer, a former ally of Ms. Rousseff, who has turned against her, will take power.
The president faces two main choices. She can call for early elections, appeasing those who believe that the country’s political crisis is unlikely to be solved until a new leader is elected. Or she can fight the impeachment and hope to somehow regain the public’s trust.
In a defiant address to the nation on Monday afternoon, Ms. Rousseff called the impeachment proceedings a “coup,” and she vowed to stay in office until the end of her mandate in 2018 for the sake of democracy. “This is just the beginning of the fight, which will be long and democratic,” she said.
Ms. Rousseff and her allies will undoubtedly continue to point out that many of the lawmakers leading the impeachment effort stand accused of more serious crimes than she does. That is a valid point. Still, the fact remains that she has presided over an era of economic stagnation. Brazil’s economy is expected to shrink this year by roughly 3.5 percent. She also cannot dodge questions about corruption that predate her presidency. Before being elected, Ms. Rousseff was the head of the board of Petrobras, the country’s state oil company, which is at the center of many of the corruption investigations.
If she is to survive politically, Ms. Rousseff will have to present a clear vision to mend Brazil’s economy and to root out the type of corruption that has become business as usual in Brasília. Accomplishing that will require stronger leadership and clearer ideas than she’s been able to muster so far.
Correction: April 18, 2016
An earlier version of this editorial misstated the length of the term of office Dilma Rousseff won in 2014 and when the term is scheduled to end. It is four years long, not five, ending in 2018, not 2019.
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