Brazil´s lower house backs President's impeachment

BRASILIA: Brazil's lower house of Congress voted on Sunday to back the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff for breaking budget laws.

Rousseff's opponents reached the 342-vote mark needed to send her impeachment to the Senate for trial, a major step towards potentially ending 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule in the divided nation.

Brazil´s presidential chief of staff Jaques Wagner said the government is confident the Senate will dismiss the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, which was approved on Sunday night by the lower house of Congress.

Sunday´s vote for impeachment was a setback for Brazilian democracy and was "orchestrated" by her opponents who never accepted he re-election victory in 2014, Wagner said in a statement.

The decision was marked with celebrations across the city by opponents of Rousseff. His supporters on the other hand staged protests.

The Brazil president has been accused of using funds from the public treasury.