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        <h1 id="reader-title">Rousseff Ousted over Her Opposition to
          Neoliberalism: Temer</h1>
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              <p>September 23, 2016<br>
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              <p>Brazilian President Michel Temer told a crowd of
                business leaders in New York that the parliamentary coup
                that ousted former President Dilma Rousseff was carried
                out in response to her opposition to a neoliberal
                program defended by his political party. </p>
              <p>Temer had earlier claimed before the U.N. General
                Assembly that the coup that brought him to power
                followed the “constitutional order,” as it complied with
                the impeachment process outlined in the country's
                constitution. </p>
              <p>Rousseff was formally impeached over her budgeting
                practices, which were also widely exercised by previous
                presidents. Supporters of Rousseff sustained that the
                issue of budget practices was a smokescreen and that her
                impeachment was driven by political interests. </p>
              <p>However, in his speech on Wednesday Temer did not
                mention Rousseff's budget practices but instead talked
                about her opposition to the neoliberal policies promoted
                by his party. </p>
              <p>Temer, who was Rousseff's running mate in 2014, is not
                a member of the leftist Workers' Party but instead
                belongs to the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement
                Party, known as the PMDB. </p>
              <p>The de facto president told those gathering at the
                Council of the Americas that he and the PMDB had
                proposed a document called “A Bridge for the Future”
                approximately a year ago. </p>
              <p>That document called for the Rousseff government to
                abandon the political mandate it was granted through its
                electoral win, and to adopt a neoliberal agenda that
                included cuts to social programs and benefits, an
                increase in the retirement age, and the privatization of
                state enterprises. </p>
              <p>Temer then said that as a result of Rousseff's
                rejection of that program “a process, now culminating
                with my consummation as president of the republic, was
                initiated.” </p>
              <p>With that comment, Temer effectively confirmed
                accusations that the parliamentary coup had nothing to
                do with Rousseff's budget practices but rather the
                desire of Brazil's economic and political elites to
                implement neoliberal policies. </p>
              <p>Temer's coup government has pursued a hardline
                neoliberal program, which includes freezing spending in
                social areas for 20 years and plans to auction off 32
                major resource and infrastructure projects. </p>
              <p>The coup regime has been criticized for pursuing a
                political program rejected by Brazilians in the previous
                election that saw Rousseff re-elected in 2014. Temer's
                cabinet includes many of the Workers' Party's political
                adversaries, including Jose Serra, whom Rousseff
                defeated in the 2010 election. </p>
              <p>Temer is scheduled to complete Rousseff’s presidential
                term until the next scheduled election in late 2018. </p>
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    <div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
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