Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer — who would take over if President Dilma Rousseff is impeached — accidentally released the speech he’d give to the nation if she were forced to stand aside. Picture: AP /Eraldo Peres
TALK about counting your chickens … Brazil’s vice president has had a rather embarrassing speech leak.
An impeachment committee of Brazil’s lower house of congress voted that there are grounds to impeach President Dilma Rousseff.
But prior to the 38-27 vote, Vice President Michel Temer — who will take over if she is forced to stand aside — accidentally released the speech he would give if the vote went in his favour.
The embarrassing mishap occurred when Temer was practising “on his cell phone [and sent the speech] by accident”, a representative from his office told the Folha newspaper.
Brazil's Vice President Michel Temer. Picture: AP/Eraldo PeresSource:AP
Rousseff supporters interpreted the appearance of the 14-minute speech online, in which Temer addressed “the Brazilian people”, as evidence for their claims that impeachment proceedings are a coup plot in disguise.
In the leaked speech, Temer states that his “great mission from now is the calming of the country, the unification of the country.” He calls on all parties to join “to pull the country out of crisis.”
Despite assurances that the recording was just a precautionary measure sent out by accident, some saw darker motives with Rousseff’s Workers’ Party tweeting Temer’s premature speech to the nation revealed preparations for “a brazen coup plot”.
A petition to impeach Rousseff — accusing her of fiddling government accounts to mask budget shortfalls to allegedly favour her re-election in 2014 — was accepted last year.
On March 17, politicians formally launched an impeachment commission after procedural obstacles were resolved.
Following the impeachment committee’s vote, the full lower house must vote on the impeachment proceedings, which is expected to take place on Sunday.
If two-thirds of its members vote in favour, the impeachment will be sent to the senate and Rousseff would be suspended if the upper house agrees by a simple majority to put her on trial.
These are the main stages in the crisis, which comes on top of a deep recession in Latin America’s biggest economy as it prepares to host the Rio Olympic Games in August.
In March, more than three million Brazilians attended demonstrations calling for Rousseff’s removal.