Battle for last votes to seal Rousseff fate

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's fate rested yesterday on the loyalties of the last 100 or so congressional deputies yet to declare how they will vote in a looming impeachment showdown.

In a ruthless and complex contest, supporters and opponents of Brazil's first female president raced to amass the magic number that will make history when the lower house of Congress votes in a week's time.

A congressional committee voted late Monday in a non-binding measure to approve impeachment.

The full house is expected to start voting Sunday or the following Monday. This time, a two thirds majority, or 342 deputies, will be needed to send Rousseff's case to the Senate for impeachment trial.

Anything less and Rousseff -- accused of fiddling accounts to mask the dire state of the government budget during her 2014 re-election -- will have won. The latest survey of the 513 deputies in the lower house by Estadao daily on Monday showed 298 in favour, still short of 342. The count showed 119 opposing impeachment.

That left the result in the hands of the 96 deputies still undecided or not stating a position. After winning Monday's skirmish in the committee -- where only a simple majority was required to win -- opponents of Rousseff declared they were on a roll.