Impeachment Trial Could Cause 'Many Difficulties' for Games

(ATR) The unfinished trial of Dilma Rousseff may still cause various problems for the Olympic Games.

With 36 days left until the Olympic Games, the scheduled dates for the conclusion of the trial remain to be decided. The Brazilian Senate has until November to finish the trial, reach a verdict, and decide the fate of the suspended President.

Rousseff was forced to leave office for six months in May, after the Senate voted to accept impeachment charges from the Chamber of Deputies and hold a trial. She was charged with manipulating government finances to hide the true scale of the deficit the country was facing at the time.

Rio 2016 chief executive Sidney Levy said Tuesday at an event organized by the Council of the Americas in Washington, D.C. that the impeachment vote should happen quickly so as not to interfere with the Olympic Games. He added in his presentation that both Rio 2016 and the IOC had lobbied the Brazilian government to spare the Games from coinciding with the trial.

"We do pray for the impeachment vote to happen before the games," Levy said. "We're going to have to manage whatever happens. It would be ideal for that to happen before the Olympics."

Maurício Rocha, a professor of political science at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, told Around the Rings it is highly unlikely that the Brazilian Senate would rush the vote so quickly. He said "the most likely hypothesis" is the trial will be delayed until after the Olympics, sparing all sides the logistical mess of dealing with the potential fallout during the showcase of the Games.

"Imagine if the outcome of the trial is the acquittal of President Dilma," Rocha said to ATR. "She would then have only a few days to rebuild their government before the biggest international event since the World Cup. This would create many difficulties for the Games.

"There is a major concern of Brazilian political leaders, both in Brasilia and in Rio de Janeiro, to ensure that the Games take place smoothly. A fiasco with the preparation of the Olympics would further worsen the international image of Brazil."

Another possible worry could be mass demonstrations happening across Brazil in the wake of whatever decision is reached at the end of the trial. Rousseff is deeply unpopular among the Brazilian public, and an acquittal could lead to "demonstrations, strikes, and road blockades," because of the tension.

Organizers are not the only ones worried about the potential trial, Rocha said. With the trial going during the Games, sponsors and broadcasters would be hurt from both domestic and international eyes taking focus off Rio’s sporting showpiece.

Rocha hypothesized that Rede Globo, the owner of Brazilian Olympic media rights, would see audiences decrease. Attention away from the Games would not please sponsorswho pour money into the Olympic Games due to its exclusivity and massive audiences.

Rede Globo did not return requests for comment from ATR about how the network would deal with covering both the Olympics and a potential impeachment trial.

Rousseff has been invited by the Rio 2016 organizing committee to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, although recent media reports say she has not made a decision on whether she will attend.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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