Dilma Rousseff Impeachment

#TchauQuerida (“Bye, Dear”) was sexist, mocking hashtag celebrating Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment (August 31, 2016). The phrase condensed misogyny, political polarization, and constitutional crisis into two patronizing words.

“Querida” (dear/darling): Condescending term typically used by men toward women, treating them as inferior or emotional rather than equals - weaponized here as political dismissal.

Impeachment Background

2014-2016 crisis:

• Petrobras corruption scandal (Operation Car Wash): Billions stolen, Workers’ Party implicated
• Economic recession: -3.8% GDP (2015), -3.6% (2016)
• Rousseff’s approval: Dropped to 10% (2015)
• Congress opposition: Led by Speaker Eduardo Cunha (himself under corruption investigation)

Charges: “Fiscal responsibility crimes” - budgetary maneuvers (pedaladas fiscais) to hide deficits

Controversy: Similar practices by previous presidents went unpunished - selective prosecution argument

April 17, 2016 Vote

Chamber of Deputies: 367-137 vote for impeachment proceedings

Dramatic moment: Deputy Jair Bolsonaro dedicated vote to Colonel Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra (notorious dictatorship torturer who tortured Dilma) - foreshadowing 2018

Gender dynamics: Many male deputies’ speeches used sexist language, questioned Dilma’s competence, temperament - coded misogyny

August 31, 2016 Final Vote

Senate: 61-20 vote to remove Rousseff

Vice President Michel Temer became president (himself implicated in corruption, later charged)

#TchauQuerida exploded: Celebratory hashtag trending #1 in Brazil, worldwide visibility

Sexism & Double Standards

Gendered attacks throughout:

• “Hysterical”: Applied to Dilma’s passionate speeches
• “Incompetent”: Despite economist PhD, ministerial experience
• Personal appearance: Mocked for weight, age, demeanor
• “Presidenta”: Controversy over feminine form (she insisted on it; opponents mocked)

Male predecessors: Lula (PT, corruption allegations), FHC (PSDB, similar fiscal practices) never faced impeachment

Academic analysis: Scholars argued gender played role in impeachment’s success where similar male politician might have survived

Political Divide

Pro-impeachment (“Tchau Querida” supporters):

• Anti-PT (Workers’ Party) sentiment
• Economic frustration
• Corruption anger
• Conservative values (anti-abortion, anti-gay rights)

Anti-impeachment (“Golpe” - coup - argument):

• Selective prosecution
• Vice President’s illegitimacy (Temer under investigation)
• Class warfare (elite removing elected president)
• Constitutional crisis concerns

”Golpe” vs. “Impeachment”

Left narrative: #GolpeNoBrasil (coup in Brazil) - constitutional procedure weaponized for political removal

Right narrative: Legal process, democratic accountability for crimes

International observers: Mixed - some called it institutional coup, others legitimate if politically motivated

Temer’s Presidency Irony

Michel Temer (2016-2018):

• 6% approval rating (2017) - lower than Dilma’s worst
• Corruption charges: Charged May 2017 (sitting president), avoided trial via allies
• Labor reforms: Weakened worker protections (pro-impeachment agenda’s real goal?)
• 2018 election: Couldn’t run (ineligible), PT nearly won despite crisis

Vindication question: Temer’s failure raised “was it worth it?” debates

2018 Election Context

Jair Bolsonaro’s rise: Anti-PT backlash + law-and-order appeal + evangelical support

Lula’s imprisonment (April 2018): Car Wash investigation, prevented him from running

PT’s resilience: Fernando Haddad (Lula’s replacement) reached runoff despite crisis, lost 55-45% to Bolsonaro

#TchauQuerida resurged: Applied to PT’s electoral defeat

Feminist Discourse

#TchauQuerida became case study in political misogyny:

Patronizing language: “Dear” infantilizes, dismisses

Celebrating woman’s removal: Particularly from traditionally male space (presidency)

Body policing: Attacks on Dilma’s appearance throughout crisis

Competence questioning: Economist dismissed as economically incompetent

Emotional framing: Policy disagreements framed as temperamental problems

International Comparisons

Hillary Clinton (U.S. 2016): Similar gendered attacks (“nasty woman”), “lock her up”

Julia Gillard (Australia 2013): Misogynoir attacks, lost leadership

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Argentina): Faced similar sexist rhetoric

Pattern: Female leaders globally face gendered attacks male counterparts don’t

Legacy & Reassessment

2020-2022: Post-Bolsonaro disaster, some Dilma reassessment:

• “Maybe she wasn’t so bad”
• Economic nostalgia (inflation under Bolsonaro worse)
• Democracy backsliding made her look better
• Environmental protections she maintained that Bolsonaro destroyed

Lula 2022 victory: Vindicated PT - Dilma campaigned for him

Tchau Querida irony: The people who said “bye dear” to Dilma got Temer (corrupt, unpopular), then Bolsonaro (catastrophic), then… Lula’s PT back in power

The hashtag remains symbol of Brazil’s volatile 2010s - corruption, economic crisis, gender politics, democratic fragility, and unresolved tensions that continue shaping Brazilian politics.

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/
https://www.theguardian.com/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37236940