Ecuador withdraws its ambassador to Brazil following the dismissal of Dilma Rousseff

Claiming that the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff failed to prove that she committed financial crimes, Ecuador has recalled its ambassador to Brasilia.

“The Government of Ecuador rejects the blatant subversion of democratic order in Brazil,” the foreign ministry said Wednesday in a statement. “What occurred in Brazil under the guise of legal process was, in fact, a coup and a conspiracy against democracy. President Rousseff has been illegitimately removed from office,” the statement continued.

Dilma Rousseff

Ecuador President Rafael Correa said Rousseff’s ouster was “illegal” and a blow to progressive government in Latin America. “We will not stand idly by and watch the dismantling of the democratic process,” he said.

Brazil’s senate voted Wednesday to remove Rousseff from office based on “financial crimes,” although it provided few details. Vice President Michel Temer, a conservative, was sworn in as the new president following the vote. He will serve the remaining two years of Rousseff’s term.

Correa said earlier that many of the Brazilian senators face far more serious charges than Rousseff. “Those thugs have been charged with bribery and corruption and have no business judging her,” he said, referring to a massive bribery scandal involving Brazil’s national oil company.

Following Ecuador’s ambassadorial recall, Brazil said it would reciprocate by pulling its ambassador from Quito.