Five years to the day, Dilma Rousseff became the second Brazilian president to be impeached by Congress in a quarter-century. The acrimonious process bookended an often inept administration, but also deepened political divisions, fueled anti-establishment movements, and left Brazil’s political system in tatters. The traumatic process still bears ripple effects in the country.
Ms. Rousseff was formally ousted for doctoring the budget. While technically an impeachable offense, her crimes were arguably no less heinous than those committed by administrations before her, simply being used as a pretext to jettison a head of state who had lost her ability to govern.
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