The bloodless coup seems to be over in Brazil, even though former President Dilma Rousseff is bitter and still fighting.
She claims new president Michel Temer deposed her in the coup and has accused the government and courts of a conspiracy to remove her from office.
Temer was her vice-president in a coalition government, but withdrew his party’s support in March, leaving Rousseff alone and embattled fighting allegations of corruption which she eventually lost.
In an emotional and drawn-out fight to the bitter end, Rousseff had lost the support of the government, but had many voters still on her side.
But the ruling senate, including many of her own party members, voted to impeach her – the first time this has happened to a Brazilian president.
Budgetary violations
After an all-night session, senators voted 55 to 22 to suspend her from office and send her to trial on allegations of budgetary ‘violations’.
Rousseff denies the charges and has vowed to fight her opponents in the courts with every legal means she has at her disposal.
Temer was voted in as interim president for 180 days. By then, Rousseff must have come to trial under Brazilian law.
At the end of that short term in office, Temer will have to call another election.
“I have stepped forward to help save Brazil,” said Temer.
“We must improve growth. Brazil is a poor country. We need investment and to get the economy again.
Government fixer
“We must stop talking about the crisis and start working hard again.”
Temer has a reputation as a government fixer. Although he has had a hand in putting together a coalition with every president for almost the past 20 years, this is the first time he has taken the supreme office.
Aged 75, he heads the PMDB party, which has the most members of any party in Brazil but not enough seats to form a government.
He has pledged to sort out corruption in the state-owned Petrobas oil company, which was at the root of unseating Rousseff.
He also needs to get a grip on the once soaring economy that is languishing with 9% unemployment and inflation at a 12-year high. A lack of global demand for raw materials and a strong US dollar are flattening growth.
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