Brazil's Senate rules out Rousseff's participation in fiscal pedalling

Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff attends a news conference with foreign media in Brasilia, Brazil, June 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

While Rousseff is suspended, interim President Michel Temer has been in charge of running the South American country.

However, over recent months, Temer has seen his popularity steadily decrease, according to a survey carried out by the consultancy firm Ipsos which was published Monday by local daily Estado de Sao Paolo.

Temer's disapproval rate among citizens grew from 61 percent in February, to 67 percent in May, and 70 percent in June, said the survey.

This percentage is similar to that of Rousseff, who currently has a disapproval rating of 75 percent.

Temer, who belongs to the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), assumed the role of provisional president on May 12 after the Senate suspended Rousseff for 180 days in order to investigate the administrative irregularities.

The survey confirms a strong deterioration in the presidency's image, a result of the successive corruption scandals within Operation Car Wash which has uncovered a large corruption scheme involving the government-owned oil company Petrobras.

All potential presidential candidates have a disapproval rating greater than 50 percent in the South American country.

The Workers' Party leader, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2011), registered a disapproval rating of 68 percent in the survey while the president of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Aecio Neves, has 63 percent.

At the same time, current Foreign Minister Jose Serra and Sao Paulo's governor Geraldo Alckmin, both from the PSDB, have a disapproval rating of 55 percent while Senator Marina Silva has 56 percent.

While politicians are suffering from the alleged corruption claims, judges are receiving high rates of approval.

Judge Sergio Moro, responsible in the first instance for Operation Car Wash, has an approval rating of 55 percent, while Joaquim Barbosa, the former president of the Federal Supreme Court and reporter for the Mensalao corruption scandal back in 2005, has an approval rating of 42 percent.