Effort to impeach Brazil's president Dilma Rousseff plunges into chaos

The leader of the lower house said senators can't go ahead with an impeachment vote, while the Senate leader insisted that they will

The fight over President Dilma Rousseff's future has taken a strange twist in Congress, with the leader of the lower house saying senators can't go ahead with an impeachment vote and the Senate leader insisting they will.

The latest chapter in Brazil's political drama began yesterday when the acting speaker of the Chamber of Deputies announced that he had annulled a majority vote by his own colleagues last month that favored ousting Rousseff and sent the matter to the Senate for a possible trial of the president.

The surprise move by acting Speaker Waldir Maranhao touched off a stormy debate over the decision's legality and its possible implications, a standoff that will likely have to be solved by the country's supreme court.

The Senate had been expected to vote Wednesday whether to accept the impeachment case against Rousseff and put her on trial for allegedly breaking fiscal rules in her management of the national budget. If a simple majority of senators decides in favor, Rousseff will be suspended and Vice President Michel Temer will take over until a trial is conducted.

Senate President Renan Calheiros told colleagues that he intended to ignore Maranhao's action and move forward with the proceedings as scheduled. He criticized the speaker's action as "toying with democracy."

Whether the Senate would be able to go forward was unclear, since both the government and opposition were likely to appeal Maranhao's decision. At the very least, the impeachment process could be pushed back a few days.

The impeachment proceedings come as Brazil is grappling with its worst recession in decades, a continuing corruption probe that already has ensnared top politicians and prominent businessmen, and an outbreak of the Zika virus.

At the same time, the country's showcase city, Rio de Janeiro, is gearing up to host the Olympics in August.

Rousseff's once-overwhelming public support has eroded with the onslaught of bad news, with her approval ratings dipping into the single digits in recent months.

While polls have suggested broad public support for her impeachment, they have also pointed to widespread worry about who might replace her.

Under the terms of Maranhao's decision, the Chamber of Deputies would have five sessions to hold another vote on whether to send the impeachment process against Rousseff to the Senate.

The lower house overwhelmingly voted to move forward with the process last month and it is those April 15-17 sessions that were annulled by Maranhao, who opposed impeachment.