Rousseff cancels national address to a divided Brazil

The opposition argued that the president, who faces an impeachment vote, cannot make a personal defence on TV

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff cancelled a scheduled address to the nation after the opposition took legal measures to stop her, underscoring the political tensions in a country just two days from a crucial impeachment vote.

Rousseff was supposed to speak out on television and radio in defence of her presidency. Her public-relations strategy hit a roadblock after opposition parties filed legal motions that argued she can't make a public address to mount a personal defence. Leading Brazilian newspapers Estado de S Paulo and O Globo report there are enough votes in the lower house on Sunday to move the impeachment process forward.

The political tensions are approaching a climax, as lawmakers started a marathon session of debate that will culminate in Sunday's televised impeachment vote. Financial markets surged this week on the prospect of her more business-friendly Vice President Michel Temer taking over the top job. Brazilian stocks extended a rally that has pushed the benchmark Ibovespa up 23 per cent this year.

Sunday's vote "is huge - it really is," said Melvyn Levitsky, a former US ambassador to Brazil and a professor of international policy and practice at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy. "Brazil hasn't faced a crisis like this - not this bad."

Rousseff lost some political momentum in recent weeks as her biggest partners abandoned the ruling coalition, depriving her of key votes in Congress. If 342 of 513 lower house lawmakers back impeachment on Sunday, the case moves to the Senate. There, only a simple majority is required to temporarily remove her from office. Two-thirds of the senators are needed to force her out permanently.