Members of Brazil's lower house celebrate Sunday night after voting to back an impeachment trial for President Dilma Rousseff.
Lawmakers needed 342 votes to approve a Senate hearing on charges of manipulating budget accounts.
For thousands of pro-impeachment demonstrators, the news prompted massive celebrations.
In Brasilia, fireworks erupted and crowds cheered as they watched the Congressional proceedings live.
This is a birth of a new Brazil, this student said. A Brazil marked by full democracy and respect for judicial power. Everything that is to come will be better.
If the Senate votes as expected, to proceed with the impeachment , Rousseff would be suspended from her post and replaced by the Vice President who would serve out the rest of her term if she's found guilty.
According to opinion polls, more than 60 percent of Brazilians support the impeachment.