Summary

  • Brazil's lower house approves impeachment proceedings against President Rousseff

  • Opponents secure the required two-thirds majority after a marathon voting session

  • Rousseff's opponents celebrate the result across the country

  • The Senate will now vote on whether to launch an impeachment trial

  • Ms Rousseff is accused of manipulating government accounts

  • She denies the claims and accuses opponents of mounting a "coup"

  1. Rousseff loses impeachment votepublished at 03:07 British Summer Time 18 April 2016
    Breaking

    Brazil's lower house of congress votes to start impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff, accused of manipulating government figures.

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  2. Cheering in the country's colourspublished at 02:59 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    The BBC's Wrye Davies tweets a photograph of a crowd, some wearing Brazil football tops, cheering as Dilma Rousseff looks set for defeat in the lower house of Congress. 

    Opponents of President Rousseff wore yellow and green to indicate their preference in the vote, while supporters of the Workers' Party wore red.

  3. Rousseff set to lose impeachment votepublished at 02:50 British Summer Time 18 April 2016
    Breaking

    Breaking News image

    Brazil's governing Workers' Party admits defeat in a lower house impeachment vote against President Dilma Rousseff.

    Rousseff loses impeachment vote

    Brazil's lower house of congress votes to start impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff, accused of manipulating government figures.

    Read More
  4. Rousseff supporters increasingly despondentpublished at 02:50 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    The mood among supporters of President Rousseff darkened as her opponents got closer to the 342 they need for the impeachment proceedings to move to the next stage.  

    Hundreds of people watch a screen displaying the Chamber of Deputies' discussions in Brasilia, Brazil, 17 April 2016Image source, EPA
    Hundreds of people watch a screen displaying the Chamber of Deputies" discussions in Brasilia, Brazil, 17 April 2016.Image source, EPA
  5. Gridlock to come?published at 02:45 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    A 2015 article in Forbes, external magazine predicted that there would be "gridlock" in Brazil's Congress if President Rousseff was impeached.

    "Impeaching the president won’t solve [Brazil's] problems," wrote Kenneth Rapoza at the time.

  6. Who would replace Dilma Rousseff?published at 02:36 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    MPs are still voting on the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff.

    But with the votes very close to a majority, the country's Workers' Party has conceded defeat.

    It does not mean President Rousseff has lost her position. The matter will go to the Senate for another vote, this time on whether to launch a trial.

    What if she is impeached?

    BBC News takes a look at who could be the next President of Brazil.

  7. Pro-impeachment forces short of only 20 votes nowpublished at 02:36 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    The pro-impeachment camp in the lower house of Congress only needs 20 more votes to reach the 342 votes needed for the impeachment proceedings to reach the next stage, 

  8. Anti-government protesters start celebrationspublished at 02:26 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    epa05264793Image source, EPA
  9. Workers' Party leader in Congress admits vote defeatpublished at 02:14 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    BBC Brasil's reporter in the lower house of Congress, Mariana Schreiber, says the government has admitted defeat but that it vows to take its fight to the next stage.

    She says the leader of the Workers' Party in the lower house, Jose Guimaraes, said the battle would now be fought in the streets and in the Senate. 

    "The government is united in its aim to prevent the coup in the Senate."

  10. Voting reaches its final stagepublished at 01:59 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    Five hours after the voting began, almost 400 MPs have had their say. The tally so far is: 293 "yes" votes; 96 "no" votes; four abstentions and two absent MPs.

  11. Crowds follow all twists and turnspublished at 01:53 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    Media caption,

    Opponents and supporters are glued to giant screens as the voting enters its final stage

  12. 'Afraid of losing everything' - Rousseff supporterpublished at 01:31 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    A supporter of Dilma Rousseff in Sao Paulo tells BBC Brasil reporter Rafael Barifouse of her worries:

    Quote Message

    I'm worried that we will lose everything we won in these past years in this storm which is approaching. I live on the outskirts, I come from a poor family, I managed to get an education and now I bring home a salary. I want other people to have these same opportunities.

    Amanda Silva, Supporter of President Rousseff

    Amanda Silva
  13. 'Down to the wire'published at 01:15 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    Screengrab of reporter Daniel Gallas on TVImage source, BBC World

    Reporter Daniel Gallas in Sao Paulo tells BBC World News that although things are "not looking good" for Dilma Rousseff, many of the people due to vote later on will be supporting her.

    "It's going to be down to the wire," he says.

  14. Optimism increases in 'yes' camppublished at 01:13 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    Optimism is increasing among opponents of President Rousseff as the votes in favour of her impeachment continue to rise.

    Demonstrators react as they look on at a big screen showing a session to review the request for President Dilma Rousseff"s impeachment in Brasilia, during a protest against Rousseff at Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 17, 2016Image source, Reuters
    Brazilians in favor of the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff react while watching the televised voting of the Lower House of Congress over her impeachment in Brasilia, Brazil April 17, 2016.Image source, Reuters
  15. Rousseff's critics only 100 votes short nowpublished at 01:10 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    Opponents of President Rousseff are now only 100 votes short of the necessary 342 needed to send a motion to impeach her to the Senate. Another 185 lawmakers have yet to vote. 

  16. President-to-be?published at 01:03 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    Michel Temer is the Vice President of Brazil and will become president if Dilma Rousseff is impeached.

    This photograph shows him watching the proceedings in Congress, as vote after vote stacks up against Ms Rousseff.

  17. House Speaker Eduardo Cunha votespublished at 01:00 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    The speaker of the lower house, Eduardo Cunha, has voted in favour of impeachment proceeding against President Dilma Rousseff. Mr Cunha has been one of the key figures in this political drama. Once an ally of Ms Rousseff, he has turned into one of her fiercest rivals. Mr Cunha is facing legal problems of his own and his critics say his support for Ms Rousseff's impeachment is hypocritical. Mr Cunha is accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes, which he denies. 

  18. 'Respect the ballot box'published at 00:56 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    In Dilma Rousseff's last post on Facebook, she used a hashtag that translates as "respect the ballot box", which seems to be directed at the MPs who want to see her impeached.

    She was narrowly re-elected to the presidency in 2014, with 51.6% of the vote.

    Her post also calls the impeachment proceedings a "coup".

    photo of Dilma Rousseff tweetImage source, Twitter
  19. Number of MPs who have voted rises to 300published at 00:43 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    Three hundred MPs have now voted in Brazil's lower house. Of these, 224 have voted in favour of the impeachment proceedings against Dilma Rousseff. But in order for the motion to make it to the next stage, another 118 will have to add their votes to the "yes" camp. 

  20. 'Yes' votes reach 200published at 00:18 British Summer Time 18 April 2016

    Two hundred lawmakers in Brazil's lower house of Congress have now voted in favour of impeachment proceedings against President Rousseff to proceed. They need 342 votes in order for the motion to go to the Senate. Two-hundred-and-fifty-nine MPs are yet to vote.