For nearly a year, members of Brazil's political opposition have been trying to impeach President Dilma Rousseff. Following a vote in the lower house of Brazil's Congress, they are one step closer to their goal. The Chamber of Deputies voted April 17 to impeach Rousseff, and although Rousseff retains control for now, the Senate will soon begin deliberations of its own. Approval by a simple majority would sideline her for up to 180 days while the Senate deliberates further.

If Rousseff is impeached — allegedly for manipulating government budgets in 2014 for political gains — the ruling Workers' Party would be in danger of losing the presidency for years to come. The declining Brazilian economy, a criminal investigation against the party's most popular figure, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and the increasingly likely impeachment of Rousseff in a Senate vote all threaten the future of the party, which has been in power for more than a decade. The key aspect to monitor now will be whether Rousseff chooses a confrontational approach or whether she accepts her fate with the Senate vote looming.

Rousseff's options for resisting impeachment are few. She could conceivably continue appealing to the Supreme Court, though the court has already turned down one appeal. There were also rumors over the weekend that the Workers' Party would ask Rousseff to propose early elections. This could keep Vice President Michel Temer, whose political future is also in question, from assuming the presidency, and it would give da Silva a chance to run himself. But if the Senate votes to remove the president, and the Rousseff administration attempts to portray the new government as illegitimate, it would lead to lengthy political gridlock at a time when the country can ill afford it.

Although some protests are likely in the wake of the vote in the lower house, it would not necessarily be in Rousseff's or her party's interest to try to orchestrate street demonstrations. Massive protests would risk inflaming the situation in an already politically polarized country facing significant economic and financial challenges, such as rising government spending and a contracting economy. It will be crucial to watch what strategy the Workers' Party decides to use to confront its political rivals.