Brazil's Supreme Court denies Rousseff request for Temer to remain as interim president

Brazil's Supreme Court on Thursday denied requests filed by impeached President Dilma Rousseff asking for the impeachment vote against her to be suspended and for President Michel Temer to remain in an interim capacity.

Rousseff's petition alleged that irregularities in impeachment process should invalidate it.

In his decision, Justice Teori Zavascki wrote that the Supreme Court would only interfere in the removal of a Brazilian president in an "extreme circumstance."

According to the judge, Rousseff's defense team, led by former Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo, had the opportunity to protest about the impeachment process and did not succeed in convincing the Senate about Rousseff's innocence.

Furthermore, Zavascki said crimes of responsibility for which Rousseff was removed from office were of an "essentially political character."

However, the justice did ask for additional information on the impeachment process from the institutions involved and sent the case to Brazil's prosecutor-general.

On Aug. 31, the Senate approved Rousseff's impeachment by 61 votes in favor to 20 against. She was tried for fiscal irregularities such as delaying payments to public banks and taking out new loans without congressional approval, in violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Law.

Her impeachment means that Temer will serve as president until the end of 2018.

(APD)