Expert views: Brazil's lower house backs impeachment of Rousseff
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff lost a crucial impeachment vote in the lower house of Congress on Sunday and appeared almost certain to be forced from office in a move that would end 13 years of leftist Workers' Party rule. Main story - [nL2N17K098] Commentary: * Thiago de Aragao at Brasilia-based political-risk consultancy Arko Advice: "Instability will continue, but Temer is much more able to maintain support for the government ... Today's vote was a vote of confidence in his ability to stabilize the volatile political environment." * Neil Shearing, Chief Emerging Markets Economist at Capital Economics: "On past form, financial markets are likely to rally tomorrow morning on hopes that a fall in the government will precipitate a shift towards more market-friendly policies, but we continue to think that this misreads just how complicated the political landscape is likely to be post-Dilma." "The most likely outcome at this stage is that the Senate will vote in favor of impeachment too, thus ultimately removing President Rousseff from office." "We suspect that a Temer-led government would still have problems agreeing the unpopular measures needed to stabilize Brazil’s economy and public finances." * Claudio Couto, professor of political science at Fundação Getulio Vargas: "The political atmosphere will continue to be tense. It is almost impossible the Senate will not take up the impeachment. And with her removal for up to six months (while a trial is conducted in the Senate), the government's power of persuasion would be dramatically diminished." "Those who lost today will take to the streets and there will be an ebbing of those who won and feel they've already achieved what they wanted. The remaining of (lower house speaker Eduardo) Cunha will also continue to weigh on the atmosphere. He will likely continue in his post and that will motivate some parts of society who lost today to mobilize against him." (Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Alonso Soto)
