巴西参议院决定总统是否应该接受审判

AS IT IS 2016-04-19 Brazil’s Senate to Decide if President Should Face Trial 巴西参议院决定总统是否应该接受审判

Brazil’s political turmoil¹ has intensified² as lawmakers voted to carry forward the impeachment⁴ process against President Dilma Rousseff.

Lawmakers in the lower house of Congress voted late Sunday to send the case to the Senate. Now, Brazil’s upper legislative⁵ house is to decide whether to try Rousseff.

She has been charged with manipulating budget accounts before her re-election in 2014 to make the country’s economy appear stronger than it was. Rousseff has denied any wrongdoing.

The vote to impeach³ the president required a two-thirds majority of the 513-member lower house. Some of Rousseff's supporters cried after 367 members of the house voted to move the process forward.

Jose Eduardo Cardozo is Brazil’s attorney general. He called the vote "a coup⁶ against democracy."

The announcement of the vote caused cheering, music and dancing on the streets outside Congress where a huge crowd of Rousseff opponents had gathered.

The Senate now decides whether to try the president

The Senate could vote in early May to move forward with a trial for Rousseff. If it does, she would be forced to step down for up to 180 days while an impeachment trial is carried out. 

A simple majority is needed to go ahead with a trial in the Senate. Brazilian media reported 45 out of 81 senators support a trial.

Vice⁷ President Michel Temer would assume the presidency⁸ if Rousseff is suspended. However, he has been implicated¹⁰ in the investigation¹¹ of corruption¹² at Brazil’s state-run oil company, Petrobras.

He also agreed to some of the government's budgetary actions that are at the heart of the impeachment case against Rousseff.

Rousseff did not make an immediate¹³ statement after the vote against her, but was expected to give her reaction later Monday.

Olympics should not to be affected¹⁴

The International Olympic Committee said the impeachment process against Rousseff should not stop work leading up to the summer games. The games in Rio de Janeiro are set to start August 5. 

The committee said preparation has “entered into a very operational phase, where these kinds of political issues have much less influence than at other stages of organizing the Olympic Games."

A tense political situation continues

Brazil is also in one of its worst economic recessions since the 1930s. Many of Rousseff's critics blame her. Some public opinion studies show Rousseff's popularity has dropped to below 10 percent. Other opinion polls show 60 percent of Brazilians support her impeachment.

Rousseff has not been accused of corruption. Yet her government is being investigated over bribery¹⁵ accusations¹⁶ related to Petrobas. 

Congresso em Foco is an activist¹⁷ group in Brazil. It said that more than 300 of the lawmakers who voted against Rousseff are under investigation for corruption, fraud or electoral offenses¹⁸. 

The speaker of the lower house, Eduardo Cunha, has been charged with taking $5 million in bribes¹⁹ in the Petrobas scheme. He is also second in line to the presidency.

Words in This Story

manipulating – n. to deal with or control someone in an unfair way

coup – n. a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over a government

assume – v. to take on a position or job

implicate⁹ – v. to show that some is involved in something (such as a crime)

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。

4 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

5 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

6 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 implicate   

vt.使牵连其中，涉嫌

参考例句：

• He didn't find anything in the notebooks to implicate Stu.他在笔记本中没发现任何涉及斯图的东西。
• I do not want to implicate you in my problem of the job.我工作上的问题不想把你也牵扯进来。

10 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

13 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

14 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

15 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

16 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

17 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

18 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

19 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏