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Michel Temer

SAO PAUO. – Brazil’s President Michel Temer has survived another key vote to avoid facing trial on corruption charges. Opposition lawmakers did not secure enough votes in the lower house of congress on Wednesday night to put Temer on trial for charges of obstruction of justice and criminal organisation – allegations he has denied.

Brazil’s 513 seat lower house voted 251 in favour of Temer to maintain the presidency, a comfortable margin over the minimum 172 votes the president needed.

“Once again we overcame the opposition,” said congressman Carlos Marun, a staunch Temer ally from the same Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), as he sang and danced shortly before the final results of vote were announced.

Those in favour of ousting the president fell short of the minimum of 342 votes needed to suspend Temer and send him to trial in the Supreme Court.

“To put an end to this theater of vampires that Brazil is living in”, said Luizianne Lins, a congresswoman from the northeastern state of Ceara, and of the opposition Worker’s Party, as she cast her vote.

The charges relate to a corruption probe involving the meat packing company JBS. Temer survived a similar vote earlier this year on separate charges of bribery. The president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. – Al Jazeera