MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil Justices delay until Thursday decision on impeachment procedure against president Rousseff

“Tomorrow we'll stay as long as necessary,” said Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski.

Brazil's Supreme Court delayed until Thursday a crucial decision related to a procedural question in a case that could lead to President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment. The decision, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed after the court ran out of time. “Tomorrow we'll stay as long as necessary,” said Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski.

 The march towards the unpopular president's possible ouster was stalled by Rousseff's allies in Congress, who say that opposition legislators violated the constitution in their rush towards impeachment.

They claim that the special 65-member commission looking into impeachment illegally insisted on secret votes while picking members. It also happens it is stacked with Rousseff opponents.

If the high court agrees, it could tell Congress to re-start the case against Rousseff.

The president stands accused of budgeting maneuvers which helped present reasonably balanced government accounts leading to last year's election and which she argues were long accepted practices by previous governments, but her opponents say is illegal.

On December 8 the Supreme Court ordered the commission looking into Rousseff's impeachment case to freeze their work until the challenge was resolved.

The speaker of the lower house, Eduardo Cunha from the PMDB's openly anti-Rousseff wing, oversaw the controversial session to form the commission and is the architect of the impeachment drive.

However Cunha himself has been charged with taking millions of dollars in bribes.

Rousseff could be suspended from the presidency for up to six months if the lower chamber approves by a two-thirds vote an eventual commission call for impeachment. It would then be up to the Senate to judge whether she should be stripped of office.