New impeachment request filed against Brazilian president

Brazil’s opposition filed a new impeachment petition against President Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday, accusing her of illegal accounting practices.

The much-anticipated petition, whose authors include a founder of Rousseff’s Workers’ Party, was handed over to congressional lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha.

Cunha must now decide whether to submit the petition to Congress, possibly triggering an impeachment trial.

The speaker, who is among many leading Brazilian figures facing corruption allegations connected to an embezzlement scheme at oil giant Petrobras, has not indicated any timescale for his decision.

“We will evaluate it,” Cunha said.

Rousseff, reelected in October 2014, is accused of taking unauthorized state bank loans to cover budget holes both ahead of and after the start of her second term.

The nation’s accounting court gave the opposition ammunition earlier this month when it partially backed the allegations.

The latest of several petitions filed with Cunha is seen as carrying the most weight. The authors include Helio Bicudo, a Workers’ Party veteran turned sharp critic of Rousseff. It is supported by the main opposition PSDB and several other parties.

Cunha’s next step will be closely watched.

Some analysts believe he may wait to see the result of an appeal against a Supreme Court decision on the rules of how the impeachment procedure can go ahead.