Impeachment
Impeachment is a way to remove government officers from office in some countries.
Impeachment in the United States is how the House of Representatives brings charges against either the President, the Vice President, or any federal officer for misconduct they are said to have been committed. Most impeachments in the United States have been of judges.
Impeachment is like an indictment (something that the prosecutor needs to get before a trial). Someone is impeached when a legislature votes to do that. Later, there is another vote on whether or not to convict, which is like guilty or not. The second vote may be by the same people who did the impeachment, or someone else as in a bicameral legislature. Several different types of office holders may be impeached, but cases against the President or leader of a country usually attract the most attention.
Two well-known heads of state who were impeached and removed from office were Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff in 2016 and South Korean president Park Geun-hye in 2017. Three American presidents were impeached: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, Donald Trump was officially impeached twice by the house of representatives. None were removed from office. President Richard Nixon resigned from the office of President before the House could impeach him, resulting in him being the only U.S. president to resign.
Impeachment Media
Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff (left) and South Korean president Park Geun-hye (right) were both impeached and removed from office in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Lithuanian President Rolandas Paksas was the first European head of state to have been impeached.
Peru's president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski speaks about the impeachment process against him.
Boris Yeltsin, as president of Russia, survived several impeachment attempts.
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