Latin American states slam Rousseff suspension as ‘coup’

Latin American countries and China have poured criticism on the political turmoil in Brazil that saw President Dilma Rousseff suspended, with some countries denouncing the events as a “coup.”

Speaking in Caracas on Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro termed Roussef’s suspension as a coup led by the United States and said Washington seeks to sabotage genuine democracy in the region.

“Venezuela repudiates and rejects the unfair dirty tricks that have been made against this great Brazilian woman, this great Latin American leader ,” Maduro said.

“I have no doubt that behind this coup d’etat is the bill, ‘Made in the USA.’ I have no doubt. This forms part of the legacy that President Barack Obama aims to leave in Latin America, leaving aside the progressive, democratic and people’s movements,” he added.

This came after Brazil’s acting president Michel Temer took over from Rousseff, who was suspended for a six-month-long period on early Thursday by members of the Brazilian Senate for an impeachment trial.

The impeachment bid was launched over allegations that the president fiddled with government accounts in 2014 so she could increase public spending as a means of wooing votes for re-election.

Meanwhile, Cuba also questioned the legitimacy of the suspension and said it was a “judicial-parliamentary coup d’etat,” adding that the “majority of Brazilian senators decided to continue with the process of the political trial against the legitimately elected president of Brazil.”

SS