by James Tweedie
THREE Latin American nations cut diplomatic ties with Brazil on Wednesday night in response to the legislative coup against President Dilma Rousseff.
Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador recalled their ambassadors after 61 senators, “many of them charged and corrupt, threw 54 million Brazilian votes in the garbage,” as Ms Rousseff said.
However, a second motion seeking to bar her from public office for eight years failed to win approval.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro phoned Ms Rousseff within hours of the impeachment vote to express his people’s solidarity and unlimited support against the “parliamentary coup d’etat.”In a televised speech, Mr Maduro said: “This coup d’etat isn’t just against Dilma. It is against Latin America and the Caribbean. It is against us. This is an attack on the popular, progressive, leftist movement.”
Bolivian President Evo Morales announced the cutting of diplomatic ties via Twitter, branding the coup “an unjust act intended to contain the people’s rebellion by expelling the poor, blacks and women from power.”
Cuba’s government also issued a statement of support, praising the achievements of Ms Rousseff and her predecessor Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.
“The Brazilian people will defend the social achievements that have been attained and … oppose the neoliberal policies that others may try to impose on them and the plundering of natural resources,” it said.
In Sao Paulo, riots broke out on Wednesday night after Vice-President Michel Temer, whose PMDB party led the impeachment drive, was sworn in as president.
“Putschist is you,” Mr Temer blustered after Ms Rousseff accused him of staging a coup against her. “It’s you who is breaking the constitution.”
Mr Temer’s interim government, formed in May after Brazil’s congress voted to suspend Ms Rousseff during the impeachment process, has been rocked by revelations of ministers working to cover up a massive corruption scandal at state oil firm Petrobras.
PMDB congressional speaker Eduardo Cunha was forced to resign last month amid mounting evidence that he had taken millions of pounds in bribes.
Unified Workers’ Central (CUT) president Vagner Freitas said the union federation, allied to Ms Rousseff’s Worker’s Party, had called a general strike for September 22 to resist Mr Temer’s attacks on employment rights and cuts to welfare programmes.
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