Brazil's Dilma Rousseff faces impeachment proceedings
Despite re-election last year, President Dilma Rousseff's popularity has slumped amid a corruption scandal involving the state-owned oil giant, Petrobras.
The speaker of Brazil's lower house of Congress has opened impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff.
The process is based on allegations Ms Rousseff broke the law in managing last year's budget, Speaker Eduardo Cunha said.
Despite re-election last year, her popularity has slumped amid a corruption scandal involving the state-owned oil giant, Petrobras.
Rousseff expressed outrage at the decision and insisted that she had not committed any wrongful acts.
Rousseff, who earlier called an emergency cabinet meeting, said she was confident that the impeachment motion would be rejected.
Cunha is himself facing corruption allegations, which he denies. He has been accused of lying about a secret bank account in Switzerland.
Two-thirds of the lower house must approve the process for it to proceed. The governing coalition has a majority in the lower house of Congress.
The defeated opposition candidate in last year's presidential election, Senator Aecio Neves, has tweeted that he supports the impeachment request.
