六个问题带你迅速了解巴西总统弹劾案

Q. Why is Dilma Rousseff facing impeachment proceedings?

问：迪尔玛·罗塞夫(Dilma Rousseff)为何面临弹劾程序？

She is charged with violating budgetary laws in order to conceal a deficit before what she anticipated would be a tough 2014 re-election campaign, borrowing money from banks that the executive branch controls to fund domestic programs, and making changes to the federal budget without congressional approval.

她被控违反了预算法，目的是在她预计会很激烈的2014年连任竞选前掩盖财政赤字，从行政部门掌控的银行借钱以便为国内项目提供资金，且未经国会批准擅自修改联邦预算。

Q. What did the Senate vote on?

问：参议院投票表决的议案是什么？

The Senate voted on whether to start a trial of Ms. Rousseff. Last week, a Senate committee formally presented charges against her when it approved a document detailing the accusations.

参议院投票表决的内容是是否开始审判罗塞夫。上周，参议院的一个委员会正式对罗塞夫提出指控，批准了一份详细介绍相关指控的文件。

Q. What exactly are those charges?

问：具体是什么指控？

Ms. Rousseff is accused of violating Articles 85 and 167 of Brazil’s 1988 Constitution and the 1950 Law of Impeachment in making changes to the budget without congressional authorization. She is also accused of violating the Constitution and the same 1950 law in borrowing money from an institution that the state controls.

罗塞夫被控未经国会授权擅自修改预算，违反了巴西1988年宪法的第85和第167条，以及1950年的《弹劾法》(Law of Impeachment)。她还被控从政府控制的一个机构借钱，同样控违反了宪法和《弹劾法》。

Q. Why are these potentially impeachable offenses?

问：这些为什么是可能导致总统被弹劾的犯罪行为？

The 1950 law defines “crimes of responsibility,” identifying more than 50 situations that call for impeachment. One is violating the annual budgetary law. The 1988 Constitution applies because it includes “crimes of responsibility.”

1950年那项法律对“职务犯罪”进行了界定，规定了50多种会招致弹劾的情况。其中之一是违反年度预算法。1988年制定的宪法适用是因为它包含了“职务犯罪”。

The 2000 law of fiscal responsibility makes it illegal for the executive branch to borrow money from financial institutions it controls. The law also requires congressional approval of any changes in an annual budget after it has been approved.

2000年制定的财政责任法规定，行政部门从其掌控的金融机构借钱属于违法行为。该法还要求年度预算在获得批准后，任何修改均需获得国会的同意。

Q. Can Ms. Rousseff go to prison if the Senate convicts her?

问：如果参议院判其有罪，罗塞夫是否会入狱？

No, but she must step aside temporarily while the trial is underway and would have to resign if convicted.

不会，但在审判过程中，她必须暂时停职，如果被判有罪则不得不辞职。

“The nature of these crimes are administrative crimes,” said Oscar Vilhena Vieira, a constitutional law professor at Fundação Getulio Vargas, a university in São Paulo. “They are not penal crimes, so you cannot be put in prison because of them, but you can lose your mandate.”

“这些犯罪行为的本质是行政犯罪，”圣保罗瓦加斯商学院(Fundação Getulio Vargas)研究宪法的教授奥斯卡·维列纳·维埃拉(Oscar Vilhena Vieira)说。“不是刑事犯罪，所以不会因此入狱，但可能会失去权力。”

Q. So is the Senate trial different from a criminal trial in a court?

问：所以参议院的审判不同于法庭的刑事审判对吗？

Yes. This is a political trial, and the standard of proof for conviction is less than it would be in a courtroom trial. If Ms. Rousseff were tried by the country’s Supreme Court over these same offenses, she would be likely to face better odds of obtaining a favorable result.

是的。这是政治审判，证明有罪的标准比法庭审判低。如果因为同样的罪名接受最高法院的审判，罗塞夫获得有利结果的几率可能会更高。

That also means that congressional support is crucial. “If she had a solid majority in Congress, these acts would be forgivable,” said Brasílio Sallum Jr., a professor of sociology at the University of São Paulo and an expert in Brazil’s political processes.

这也意味着获得国会的支持至关重要。“如果有绝大多数国会议员的支持，这些行为都是可原谅的，”圣保罗大学(University of São Paulo)社会学教授、研究巴西政治进程的专家小布拉西利奥·塞卢姆(Brasílio Sallum Jr.)说。

Ms. Rousseff’s problem, he said, is that, “the majority support she had in Congress at the beginning of her presidency no longer exists.”

他表示，罗塞夫的问题是，“她开始担任总统时得到了国会多数人的支持，但现在这些支持已不复存在。”