Page 11 - Aruba Today
P. 11
WORLD NEWS A11
Wednesday 30 March 2016
Brazil’s biggest party abandons president, quits coalition
STAN LEHMAN The speaker of Brazil’s lower house of Congress Eduardo Cunha, for breaking fiscal laws. tion,” he added.
LUIS HENAO from left, Romero Juca, vice president of Brazil’s largest party, The break increases the Brazilians have been stag-
Associated Press the Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), and Eliseu Padilha, a chance that Rousseff, ing wide protests demand-
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s former transportation minister, far right, attend a party meeting whose popularity has ing the president’s im-
largest party abandoned at the National Congress, in Brasilia, Tuesday, March 29, 2016. plunged amid Brazil’s worst peachment and protesting
President Dilma Rousseff’s The party announced Tuesday, that its members are leaving recession in decades and the sprawling corruption
governing coalition Tues- Rousseff’s governing coalition. corruption scandals, will be scandal at state-run oil gi-
day, a decision that dimin- impeached in the coming ant Petrobras that has been
ishes the possibility that she (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) months. moving closer to Rousseff’s
will survive mounting pres- “The exit of the PMDB, inner circle. Rousseff, a for-
sure in Congress for her im- of President Dilma Rousseff chants calling for the end President Dilma’s main ally, mer chairwoman of Petro-
peachment. and no one in the country of Rousseff’s Worker’s Party represents the end of the bras’ board, has not been
The Brazilian Democratic is authorized to hold any and for Vice President Mi- ruling coalition and great- implicated in the unfolding
Movement Party, known federal position in name chel Temer to become Bra- ly increases the chances scandal at the oil com-
as the PMDB, said after a of the PMDB,” Juca said to zil’s president. Temer, who of her impeachment, for pany, which prosecutors
meeting that six Cabinet loud cheers and applause is the leader of the Demo- her party is now a minority say is the largest corruption
ministers belonging to the after the decision was ap- cratic Movement, would in Congress,” said Carlos scheme ever uncovered in
party as well as some 600 proved. assume the presidency if Pereira, a professor at the Brazil.
federal government em- The session ended with Rousseff was impeached Fundacao Getulio Vargas, Rousseff backers say im-
ployees who are members a top Brazilian university. peachment is a power
must step down. The an- “PMDB’s exit will definitely grab by opponents who
nouncement was made encourage smaller parties themselves have been
after more than 100 law- to follow its example and sullied by the probe into
makers approved the deci- leave the coalition, forcing kickbacks and bribery at
sion, according to the press Dilma’s government into a Petrobras.q
office of Romero Juca, an situation of political isola-
influential senator.
“As of today in this historical
meeting for the PMDB, the
party withdraws from the
base of the government
Venezuela:
2 policemen killed, 4 injured in street protest
LUZ DEPABLOS Earlier this month, the gov- Observatory of Social Con-
Associated Press ernment doubled bus fares. flict, as Venezuelans strug-
SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezu- At least 31 people were ar- gle with raging inflation,
ela (AP) — People demon- rested during the protest, worsening shortages of ba-
strating against a bus fare according to Tachira Sec- sics such as like medicine
hike killed two police offi- retary of Public Security Ra- and water, and proliferat-
cers Tuesday in the restive mon Cabeza. ing food lines.
western Venezuelan town Gov. Jose Vielma Mora de- The country has seen an
of San Cristobal as informal cried the killings on his Twit- average of 17 small-scale
protests sweep the trou- ter account. protests a day so far this
bled country. “We reject any act that year, according to the
The officers, aged 21 and threatens stability and the Venezuelan Observatory of
25, were killed by a bus lives of citizens. Violence Social Conflict, with a ma-
hijacked and later aban- brings bad consequenc- jority seeking to bring at-
doned by protesters in es,” he wrote. tention to the lack of basic
Tachira state, according “Honor and glory to the services and food.
to the Tachira police. Four brave men and women of An anti-government pro-
other officers were seriously the police force, who risk test at one of the city’s
injured when masked pro- their lives to protect the largest universities contin-
testers drove the hijacked people.” ued into the afternoon, ap-
bus through a police line, Informal street protests parently unrelated to the
according to posts from have become more com- protest that turned deadly
the Tachira police Twitter mon in recent months, ac- in the morning.q
account. cording to the Venezuelan
