for was legalised two days after her impeachment by the same Congress that voted for her removal.

The impeachment saw the Brazilian Worker’s Party (PT) removed from office for the first time in thirteen years, despite not being beaten at the ballot box, and 76-year-old Michel Temer was appointed President until 2018, despite being barred from holding office due to previous electoral fraud convictions.

In response hundreds of thousands of trade unionists and workers have taken to the streets demanding Temer step down and calling for fresh elections to take place. These demonstrations have faced suppression.

Support for Dilma and Lula has come from the International Trade Union Congress (ITUC), IndustriALL and other global union federations; the UK TUC, Workers Uniting and Brazil’s trade unions. Neighbouring governments Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuelawithdrew their ambassadors after Temer’s appointment whilst Uruguay and Cuba also criticised the coup.

Temer has implemented a range of neoliberal policies without any mandate. He is also extremely unpopular with the Brazilian people. Some polls show an approval rate as low as two per cent.

He initially appointed an all-male, all-white cabinet, in one of the most diverse countries in the world. In addition, his administration has laid off of 4000 public workers; reduced the size of Brazil’s public healthcare programme (despite access to health care being constitutionally guaranteed); abolished of the Ministries of Culture, Agrarian Development, Science and Technology (merged into another ministry), Women and Human Rights. He has also set out plans to sell off 32 major infrastructure projects and natural resources.

In a nutshell the right wing