Impeachment

This article is about the process of charging a public official. For challenging a witness in a legal proceeding, seeWitness impeachment.

Brazilian presidentDilma Rousseff(left) and South Korean presidentPark Geun-hye(right) were both impeached and removed from office in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Impeachmentis a process by which alegislative bodyor other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against apublic officialfor misconduct.It may be understood as a unique process involving bothpoliticalandlegalelements.

InEuropeandLatin America,impeachment tends to be confined toministerialofficialsas the unique nature of their positions may place ministers beyond the reach of the law to prosecute, or their misconduct is not codified into law as an offense except through the unique expectations of their high office. Both "peersandcommoners"have been subject to the process, however.From 1990 to 2020, there have been at least 272 impeachment charges against 132 differentheads of statein 63 countries.Mostdemocracies(with the notable exception of the United States) involve the courts (often a nationalconstitutional court) in some way.

In Latin America, which includes almost 40% of the world'spresidential systems,ten presidents from seven countries were removed from office by their national legislatures via impeachments or declarations of incapacity between 1978 and 2019.

National legislations differ regarding both the consequences and definition of impeachment, but the intent is nearly always to expeditiously vacate the office. In most nations the process begins in thelower houseof abicameral assemblywho bring charges of misconduct, then theupper houseadministers animpeachment trialand sentencing.Most commonly, an official is considered impeached after the house votes to accept the charges, and impeachment itself does not remove the official from office.

Because impeachment involves a departure from the normal constitutional procedures by which individuals achieve high office (election, ratification, or appointment) and because it generally requires asupermajority,it is usually reserved for those deemed to have committed serious abuses of their office.In the United States, for example, impeachment at the federal level is limited to those who may have committed "Treason, Bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors"—the latter phrase referring to offenses against the government or the constitution, graveabuses of power,violations of thepublic trust,or otherpolitical crimes,even if notindictablecriminal offenses.Under theUnited States Constitution,theHouse of Representativeshas the sole power of impeachments while theSenatehas the sole power to try impeachments (i.e.,to acquit or convict); the validity of an impeachment trial is apolitical questionthat isnonjusticiable(i.e.,is not reviewable by the courts).In the United States, impeachment is a remedial rather than penal process,intended to "effectively 'maintain constitutional government' by removing individuals unfit for office";persons subject to impeachment and removal remain "liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law."

Impeachment is provided for in the constitutional laws of many countries including Brazil, France, India, Ireland, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, and the United States. It is distinct from themotion of no confidenceprocedure available in some countries whereby a motion of censure can be used to remove a government and its ministers from office. Such a procedure is not applicable in countries with presidential forms of government like the United States.

Etymology and history

The word "impeachment" likely derives fromOld FrenchempeechierfromLatinwordimpedīreexpressing the idea of catching or ensnaring by the 'foot' (pes, pedis), and has analogues in the modernFrenchverbempêcher(to prevent) and the modernEnglishimpede.Medieval popular etymology also associated it (wrongly) with derivations from the Latinimpetere(to attack).

The process was first used by the English "Good Parliament"againstWilliam Latimer, 4th Baron Latimerin the second half of the 14th century. Following the English example, the constitutions ofVirginia(1776),Massachusetts(1780) and other states thereafter adopted the impeachment mechanism, but they restricted the punishment to removal of the official from office.

InWest Africa,kings of theAshanti Empirewho violated any of theoathstaken during their enstoolment were destooled byKingmakers.For instance, if a king punished citizens arbitrarily or was exposed to be corrupt, he would be destooled. Destoolment entailed Kingmakers removing the sandals of the king and bumping his buttocks on the ground three times. Once destooled from office, his sanctity and thus reverence were lost, as he could not exercise any powers he had as king; this included Chief administrator, Judge, and Military Commander. The now previous king was disposed of the Stool, swords and otherregaliawhich symbolized his office and authority. He also lost the position as custodian of the land. However, despite being destooled from office, the king remained a member of the royal family from which he was elected.

In various jurisdictions

Brazil

See also:Impeachment of Dilma RousseffandImpeachment proposals against Michel Temer

In Brazil, as in most other Latin American countries, "impeachment" refers to the definitive removal from office. Thepresident of Brazilmay be provisionally removed from office by theChamber of Deputiesand then tried and definitely removed from office by theFederal Senate.TheBrazilian Constitutionrequires that two-thirds of the Deputies vote in favor of the opening of the impeachment process of the President and that two-thirds of the Senators vote for impeachment. State governors and municipal mayors can also be impeached by the respective legislative bodies. Article 2 of Law no. 1.079, from 10 April 1950, or "The Law of Impeachment", states that "The crimes defined in this law, even when simply attempted, are subject to the penalty of loss of office, with disqualification for up to five years for the exercise of any public function, to be imposed by the Federal Senate in proceedings against the President of the Republic, Ministers of State, Ministers of the Supreme Federal Tribunal, or the Attorney General."

Initiation:An accusation of a responsibility crime against the President may be brought by any Brazilian citizen; however, the President of the Chamber of Deputies holds prerogative to accept the charge, which if accepted will be read at the next session and reported to the President of the Republic.

Extraordinary Committee:An extraordinary committee is established, consisting of members from each political party in proportion to their party's membership. The committee is responsible for assessing the need for impeachment proceedings. The President is given ten parliamentary sessions to present their defense. Following this, two legislative sessions are held to allow for the formulation of a legal opinion by a rapporteur regarding whether or not impeachment proceedings should be initiated and brought to trial in the Senate.

The rapporteur's opinion is subject to a vote within the committee. If the majority accepts the rapporteur's opinion, it is deemed adopted. However, if the majority rejects the rapporteur's opinion, the committee adopts an alternative opinion proposed by the majority. For instance, if the rapporteur recommends against impeachment but fails to secure majority support, the committee will adopt the opinion to proceed with impeachment. Conversely, if the rapporteur advises impeachment but does not obtain majority approval, the committee will adopt the opinion not to impeach.

If the committee vote is successful, the rapporteur's opinion is considered adopted, thereby determining the course of action regarding impeachment.

Chamber of Deputies:The Chamber issues a call-out vote to accept the opinion of the committee, requiring a supermajority of two thirds in favor of an impeachment opinion (or a supermajority of two thirds against a dismissal opinion) of the committee, in order to authorize the Senate impeachment proceedings. The President is suspended (provisionally removed) from office as soon as the Senate receives and accepts from the Chamber of Deputies the impeachment charges and decides to proceed with a trial.

The Senate:The process in the Senate had been historically lacking in procedural guidance until 1992, when the Senate published in the Official Diary of the Union the step-by-step procedure of the Senate's impeachment process, which involves the formation of another special committee and closely resembles the lower house process, with time constraints imposed on the steps taken. The committee's opinion must be presented within 10 days, after which it is put to a call-out vote at the next session. The vote must proceed within a single session; the vote on President Rousseff took over 20 hours. A simple majority vote in the Senate begins formal deliberation on the complaint, immediately suspends the President from office, installs the Vice President as acting president, and begins a 20-day period for written defense as well as up to 180-days for the trial. In the event the trial proceeds slowly and exceeds 180 days, the Brazilian Constitution determines that the President is entitled to return and stay provisionally in office until the trial comes to its decision.

Senate plenary deliberation:The committee interrogates the accused or their counsel, from which they have a right to abstain, and also a probative session which guarantees the accused rights to contradiction, oraudiatur et altera pars,allowing access to the courts and due process of law under Article 5 of the constitution. The accused has 15 days to present written arguments in defense and answer to the evidence gathered, and then the committee shall issue an opinion on the merits within ten days. The entire package is published for each senator before a single plenary session issues a call-out vote, which shall proceed to trial on a simple majority and close the case otherwise.

Senate trial:A hearing for the complainant and the accused convenes within 48 hours of notification from deliberation, from which a trial is scheduled by the president of the Supreme Court no less than ten days after the hearing. The senators sit as judges, while witnesses are interrogated and cross-examined; all questions must be presented to the president of the Supreme Court, who, as prescribed in the Constitution, presides over the trial. The president of the Supreme Court allots time for debate and rebuttal, after which time the parties leave the chamber and the senators deliberate on the indictment. The President of the Supreme Court reads the summary of the grounds, the charges, the defense and the evidence to the Senate. The senators in turn issue their judgement. On conviction by a supermajority of two thirds, the president of the Supreme Court pronounces the sentence and the accused is immediately notified. If there is no supermajority for conviction, the accused is acquitted.

Upon conviction, the officeholder has his or her political rights revoked for eight years, which bars them from running for any office during that time.

Fernando Collor de Mello,the 32nd President of Brazil, resigned in 1992 amidst impeachment proceedings. Despite his resignation, the Senate nonetheless voted to convict him and bar him from holding any office for eight years, due to evidence ofbriberyand misappropriation.

In 2016, theChamber of Deputiesinitiatedan impeachment caseagainst PresidentDilma Rousseffon allegations of budgetary mismanagement, a crime of responsibility under the Constitution.On 12 May 2016, after 20 hours of deliberation, the admissibility of the accusation was approved by the Senate with 55 votes in favor and 22 against (an absolute majority would have been sufficient for this step) and Vice PresidentMichel Temerwas notified to assume the duties of the President pending trial. On 31 August, 61 senators voted in favor of impeachment and 20 voted against it, thus achieving the2⁄3majority needed for Rousseff's definitive removal. A vote to disqualify her for five years was taken and failed (in spite of the Constitution not separating disqualification from removal) having less than two thirds in favor.

Croatia

The process of impeaching thepresident of Croatiacan be initiated by a two-thirds majority vote in favor in theSaborand is thereafter referred to theConstitutional Court,which must accept such a proposal with a two-thirds majority vote in favor in order for the president to be removed from office. This has never occurred in the history of theRepublic of Croatia.In case of a successful impeachment motion a president's constitutional term of five years would be terminated and an election called within 60 days of the vacancy occurring. During the period of vacancy the presidential powers and duties would be carried out by thespeaker of the Croatian Parliamentin his/her capacity as Acting President of the Republic.

Czech Republic

In 2013, the constitution was changed. Since 2013, the process can be started by at least three-fifths of present senators, and must be approved by at least three-fifths of all members of theChamber of Deputieswithin three months. Also, thePresidentcan be impeached for high treason (newly defined in theConstitution) or any serious infringement of the Constitution.

The process starts in theSenate of the Czech Republicwhich has the right to only impeach the president. After the approval by the Chamber of Deputies, the case is passed to theConstitutional Court of the Czech Republic,which has to decide the verdict against the president. If the Court finds the President guilty, then the President is removed from office and is permanently barred from being elected President of the Czech Republic again.

No Czech president has ever been impeached, though members of the Senatesought to impeach President Václav Klaus in 2013.This case was dismissed by the court, which reasoned that his mandate had expired.The Senate also proposed to impeach presidentMiloš Zemanin 2019but the Chamber of Deputies did not vote on the issue in time and thus the case did not even proceed to the Court.

Denmark

Main article:Court of Impeachment of the Realm (Denmark)

In Denmark the possibility for current and former ministers being impeached was established with theDanish Constitutionof 1849. Unlike many other countriesDenmarkdoes not have aConstitutional Courtwho would normally handle these types of cases. Instead Denmark has a specialCourt of Impeachment(In Danish: Rigsretten) which is called upon every time a current and former minister have been impeached. The role of the Impeachment Court is to process and deliver judgments against current and former ministers who are accused of unlawful conduct in office. The legal content of ministerial responsibility is laid down in the Ministerial Accountability Act which has its background in section 13 of the Danish Constitution, according to which the ministers' accountability is determined in more detail by law. In Denmark the normal practice in terms of impeachment cases is that it needs to be brought up in theDanish Parliament(Folketing) first for debate between the different members and parties in the parliament. After the debate the members of the Danish Parliament vote on whether a current or former minister needs to be impeached. If there is a majority in the Danish Parliament for an impeachment case against a current or former minister, an Impeachment Court is called into session. In Denmark the Impeachment Court consists of up to 15 Supreme Court judges and 15 parliament members appointed by the Danish Parliament. The members of the Impeachment Court in Denmark serve a six-year term in this position.

In 1995 the former Minister of Justice Erik Ninn-Hansen from theConservative People's Partywas impeached in connection with theTamil Case.The case was centered around the illegal processing of family reunification applications. From September 1987 to January 1989 applications for family reunification of Tamil refugees from civil war-tornSri Lankawere put on hold in violation of Danish and International law. On 22 June 1995, Ninn-Hansen was found guilty of violating paragraph five subsection one of the Danish Ministerial Responsibility Act which says: A minister is punished if he intentionally or through gross negligence neglects the duties incumbent on him under the constitution or legislation in general or according to the nature of his post. A majority of the judges in that impeachment case voted for former Minister of Justice Erik Ninn-Hansen to receive a suspended sentence of four months with one year of probation. The reason why the sentence was made suspended was especially in relation to Ninn-Hansen's personal circumstances, in particular, his health and age – Ninn-Hansen was 73 years old when the sentence was handed down. After the verdict, Ninn-Hansen complained to the European Court of Human Rights and complained, among other things, that theCourt of Impeachmentwas not impartial. The European Court of Human Rights dismissed the complaint on 18 May 1999. As a direct result and consequence of this case, the Conservative-led government and Prime Minister at that time Poul Schlüter was forced to step down from power.

In February 2021 the former Minister for Immigration and IntegrationInger Støjbergat that time member of the Danish Liberal PartyVenstrewas impeached when it was discovered that she had possibly against both Danish and International law tried to separate couples in refugee centres in Denmark, as the wives of the couples were under legal age. According to a commission report Inger Støjberg had also lied in the Danish Parliament and failed to report relevant details to theParliamentary OmbudsmanThe decision to initiate an impeachment case was adopted by the Danish Parliament with a 141–30 vote and decision (In Denmark 90 members of the parliament need to vote for impeachment before it can be implemented). On 13 December 2021 former Minister for Immigration and IntegrationInger Støjbergwas convicted by the special Court of Impeachment of separating asylum seeker families illegally according to Danish and international law and sentenced to 60 days in prison.The majority of the judges in the special Court of Impeachment (25 out of 26 judges) found that it had been proven that Inger Støjberg on 10 February 2016 decided that an accommodation scheme should apply without the possibility of exceptions, so that all asylum-seeking spouses and cohabiting couples where one was a minor aged 15–17, had to be separated and accommodated separately in separate asylum centers.On 21 December, a majority in the Folketing voted that the sentence means that she is no longer worthy of sitting in the Folketing and she therefore immediately lost her seat.

France

In France the comparable procedure is calleddestitution.Thepresident of Francecan be impeached by theFrench Parliamentfor willfully violating theConstitutionor thenational laws.The process of impeachment is written in the 68th article of theFrench Constitution.Either theNational Assemblyor theSenatecan begin the process. Then, the impeachment proposal must be transmitted to the other house, which can acknowledge the impeachment process within 15 days. After the upper and lower houses' agreement, they unite in joint session to form theHigh Court.

The High Court must decide whether or not to declare the removal from office of the president. The impeachment procedure in front of the National Assembly and the Senate, as well as the removal from office by theHigh Courtrequire a majority of two thirds of the members of the House involved or of the High Court; no proxy voting is allowed.

Germany

Thefederal president of Germanycan be impeached both by theBundestagand by theBundesratfor willfully violating federal law. Once the Bundestag or the Bundesrat impeaches the president, theFederal Constitutional Courtdecides whether the President is guilty as charged and, if this is the case, whether to remove him or her from office. The Federal Constitutional Court also has the power to remove federal judges from office for willfully violating core principles of thefederal constitutionor astateconstitution. The impeachment procedure is regulated in Article 61 of theBasic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany.

There is no formal impeachment process for thechancellor of Germany;however, the Bundestag can replace the chancellor at any time by voting for a new chancellor (constructive vote of no confidence,Article 67 of the Basic Law).

There has never been an impeachment against the President so far. Constructive votes of no confidence against the chancellor occurred in 1972 and 1982, with only the second one being successful.

Hong Kong

Thechief executive of Hong Kongcan be impeached by theLegislative Council.A motion for investigation, initiated jointly by at least one-fourth of all the legislators charging the Chief Executive with "serious breach of law or dereliction of duty" and refusing to resign, shall first be passed by the council. An independent investigation committee, chaired by thechief justice of the Court of Final Appeal,will then carry out the investigation and report back to the council. If the Council find the evidence sufficient to substantiate the charges, it may pass a motion of impeachment by a two-thirds majority.

However, the Legislative Council does not have the power to actually remove the chief executive from office, as the chief executive is appointed by theCentral People's Government(State Council of China). The council can only report the result to the Central People's Government for its decision.

Hungary

Article 13 of Hungary'sFundamental Law(constitution) provides for the process of impeaching and removing thepresident.The president enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution while in office, but may be charged with crimes committed during his term afterwards. Should the president violate the constitution while discharging his duties or commit a willful criminal offense, he may be removed from office. Removal proceedings may be proposed by the concurring recommendation of one-fifth of the 199 members of the country's unicameral Parliament. Parliament votes on the proposal by secret ballot, and if two thirds of all representatives agree, the president is impeached. Once impeached, the president's powers are suspended, and the Constitutional Court decides whether or not the President should be removed from office.

India

Thepresidentand judges, including the chief justice of thesupreme courtand high courts, can be impeached by theparliamentbefore the expiry of the term for violation of the Constitution. Other than impeachment, no other penalty can be given to a president in position for the violation of the Constitution underArticle 361of the constitution. However, a president after his/her removal can be punished for her/his already proven unlawful activity underdisrespecting the constitution,etc.No president has faced impeachment proceedings. Hence, the provisions for impeachment have never been tested. The sitting president cannot be charged and needs to step down in order for that to happen.

Ireland

TheConstitution of Irelandstates thePresident of Irelandmay be impeached for "stated misbehaviour".The president may not be otherwise removed from office or madeanswerablefor his actions,although if five judges of theSupreme Courtrule that he has become "permanently incapacitated" then a newpresidential electionmust be held within 60 days and thePresidential Commissionwill deputise in the interim.Impeachment is controlled by theOireachtas(parliament) with one house (DáilorSeanad) preferring achargeand the other directing the ensuing investigation and final vote.The charge requires amotionsigned by at least thirty members and consequentresolutionsupported by at least two-thirds of the total membership.The investigation may be made by the house itself or delegated to another "court, tribunal or body".The president is removed from office only if at least two-thirds of the total membership of the investigating house support an ensuing resolution that, not only has the charge been sustained, but also the misbehaviour was serious enough to render the president "unfit to continue in office".

As of January 2024no impeachment of a president has ever taken place. The dignity of what is a largely ceremonial office is considered important, so it is likely that a president would resign from office long before undergoing formal conviction or impeachment. In 1976, after being criticised bya minister,Cearbhall Ó Dálaighresigned "to protect the dignity and independence of the presidency as an institution", although there was no question of impeachment.

While the Constitution also states thatComptroller and Auditor Generaland justices of thesuperior courtscan be removed from office for "stated misbehaviour", it does not describe this asimpeachmentand the requirement in each case is simple resolution by each house of the Oireachtas.The process is nevertheless informally called "impeachment".

Italy

In Italy, according to Article 90 of theConstitution,thePresident of Italycan be impeached through a majority vote of theParliamentin joint session for high treason and for attempting to overthrow the Constitution. If impeached, the president of the Republic is then tried by the Constitutional Court integrated with sixteen citizens older than forty chosen by lot from a list compiled by the Parliament every nine years.

Italian press and political forces made use of the term "impeachment" for the attempt by some members of parliamentary opposition to initiate the procedure provided for in Article 90 against PresidentsFrancesco Cossiga(1991),Giorgio Napolitano(2014)andSergio Mattarella(2018).

Japan

By Article 78 of theConstitution of Japan,judges can be impeached.The voting method is specified by laws. TheNational Diethas two organs, namelyTài phán quan tố truy ủy viên hội(Saibankan sotsui iinkai) andTài phán quan đạn hặc tài phán sở(Saibankan dangai saibansho), which is established by Article 64 of the Constitution.The former has a role similar to prosecutor and the latter is analogous to Court. Seven judges were removed by them.

Liechtenstein

Members of the Liechtenstein Government can be impeached before the State Court for breaches of the Constitution or of other laws.As ahereditary monarchytheSovereign Princecannot be impeached as he "is not subject to the jurisdiction of the courts and does not have legal responsibility".The same is true of any member of thePrincely Housewho exercises the function of head of state should the Prince be temporarily prevented or in preparation for the Succession.

Lithuania

Lithuanian PresidentRolandas Paksaswas the first Europeanhead of stateto have been impeached.

In theRepublic of Lithuania,the president may be impeached by a three-fifths majority in theSeimas.PresidentRolandas Paksaswas removed from office by impeachment on 6 April 2004 after theConstitutional Court of Lithuaniafound him guilty of having violated his oath and the constitution. He was the first Europeanhead of stateto have been impeached.

Norway

Main article:Impeachment (Norway)

Members of government, representatives of the national assembly (Stortinget) andSupreme Courtjudges can be impeached for criminal offenses tied to their duties and committed in office, according to the Constitution of 1814, §§ 86 and 87. The procedural rules were modeled after the U.S. rules and are quite similar to them. Impeachment has been used eight times since 1814, last in 1927. Many argue that impeachment has fallen intodesuetude.In cases of impeachment, an appointed court (Riksrett) takes effect.

Philippines

Main article:Impeachment in the Philippines

Impeachment in the Philippines follows procedures similar to theUnited States.Under Sections2 and 3, Article XI,Constitution of the Philippines,theHouse of Representatives of the Philippineshas the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment against thepresident,vice president,members of theSupreme Court,members of the Constitutional Commissions (Commission on Elections,Civil Service Commissionand theCommission on Audit), and theombudsman.When a third of its membership has endorsedarticle(s) of impeachment,it is then transmitted to theSenate of the Philippineswhich tries and decide, as impeachment tribunal, the impeachment case.

A main difference from U.S. proceedings, however, is that only one third of House members are required to approve the motion to impeach the president (as opposed to a simple majority of those present and voting in their U.S. counterpart). In the Senate, selected members of the House of Representatives act as the prosecutors and the senators act as judges with the Senate president presiding over the proceedings (the chief justice jointly presides with the Senate president if the president is on trial). Like the United States, to convict the official in question requires that a minimum of two thirds (i.e. 16 of 24 members) of all the members of the Senate vote in favor of conviction. If an impeachment attempt is unsuccessful or the official is acquitted, no new cases can be filed against that impeachable official for at least one full year.

Impeachment proceedings and attempts

PresidentJoseph Estradawas the first officialimpeachedby the House in 2000, but the trial ended prematurely due to outrage over a vote to open an envelope where that motion was narrowly defeated by his allies. Estrada was deposed days later during the2001 EDSA Revolution.

In 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, impeachment complaints were filed against PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo,but none of the cases reached the required endorsement of1⁄3of the members for transmittal to, and trial by, the Senate.

In March 2011, the House of RepresentativesimpeachedOmbudsmanMerceditas Gutierrez,becoming the second person to be impeached. In April, Gutierrez resigned prior to the Senate's convening as an impeachment court.

In December 2011, in what was described as "blitzkrieg fashion", 188 of the 285 members of theHouse of Representativesvotedto transmit the 56-pagearticles of impeachmentagainstSupreme Courtchief justiceRenato Coronainhis impeachment.

To date, three officials had been successfully impeached by the House of Representatives, and two were not convicted. The latter,Chief Justice Renato C. Corona,was convicted on 29 May 2012, by the Senate under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment (for betraying public trust), with 20–3 votes from the Senator Judges.

Peru

Peru's presidentPedro Pablo Kuczynskispeaks about the impeachment process against him.

Thefirst impeachment process against Pedro Pablo Kuczynski,then the incumbentPresident of Perusince 2016, was initiated by theCongress of Peruon 15 December 2017. According toLuis Galarreta,the President of the Congress, the whole process of impeachment could have taken as little as a week to complete.This event was part of the second stage of thepolitical crisisgenerated by the confrontation between the Government of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and the Congress, in which the opposition Popular Force has an absolute majority. The impeachment request was rejected by the congress on 21 December 2017, for failing to obtain sufficient votes for the deposition.

Poland

In Poland, referral to theState Tribunalis used instead of the process of impeachment, which is traditionally used in some other nations as a way of addressing similar allegations against persons holding analogous offices.

Romania

Thepresidentcan be impeached byParliamentand is then suspended. A referendum then follows to determine whether the suspended President should be removed from office. PresidentTraian Băsescuwas impeached twice by the Parliament: in 2007 and then again in July 2012.A referendum was heldon 19 May 2007 and a large majority of the electorate voted against removing the president from office. For the most recent suspensiona referendum was heldon 29 July 2012; the results were heavily against the president, but the referendum was invalidated due to low turnout.

Russia

Main article:Impeachment in Russia

Boris Yeltsin,as president of Russia, survived several impeachment attempts.

In 1999, members of theState Duma of Russia,led by theCommunist Party of the Russian Federation,unsuccessfully attempted to impeach PresidentBoris Yeltsinon charges relating to his role in the1993 Russian constitutional crisisand launching theFirst Chechen War(1995–96); efforts to launch impeachment proceedings failed.

Singapore

TheConstitution of Singaporeallows the impeachment of a sittingpresidenton charges of treason, violation of the Constitution, corruption, or attempting to mislead the Presidential Elections Committee for the purpose of demonstrating eligibility to be elected as president. Theprime ministeror at least one-quarter of allmembers of Parliament(MPs) can pass an impeachment motion, which can succeed only if at least half of all MPs (excluding nominated members) vote in favor, whereupon the chief justice of theSupreme Courtwill appoint a tribunal to investigate allegations against the president. If the tribunal finds the president guilty, or otherwise declares that the president is "permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office by reason of mental or physical infirmity", Parliament will hold a vote on a resolution to remove the president from office, which requires a three-quarters majority to succeed.No president has ever been removed from office in this fashion.

South Africa

Main article:Impeachment in South Africa

When theUnion of South Africawas established in 1910, the only officials who could be impeached (though the term itself was not used) were the chief justice and judges of theSupreme Court of South Africa.The scope was broadened when the country became a republic in 1961, to include thestate president.It was further broadened in 1981 to include the new office ofvice state president;and in 1994 to include theexecutive deputy presidents,thepublic protectorand theAuditor-General.Since 1997, members of certain commissions established by the Constitution can also be impeached. The grounds for impeachment, and the procedures to be followed, have changed several times over the years.

South Korea

Main article:Constitutional Court of Korea § on Impeachment

See also:Impeachment of Park Geun-hye

According to the Article 65(1) ofConstitution of South Korea,President,Prime Minister,members of theState Council,heads of Executive Ministries,Justices of the Constitutional Court,judges, members ofthe National Election Commission,the chairperson and members of theBoard of Audit and Inspectioncan be impeached by theNational Assemblywhen they violated the Constitution or other statutory duties. By article 65(2) of the Constitution, proposal of impeachment needs simple majority of votes among quorum of one-thirds of theNational Assembly.However, exceptionally, impeachment onPresident of South Koreaneeds simple majority of votes among quorum of two-thirds of theNational Assembly.When impeachment proposal is passed in theNational Assembly,it is finally reviewed under jurisdiction theConstitutional Court of Korea,according to article 111(1) of the Constitution. During review of impeachment in the Constitutional Court, the impeached is suspended from exercising power by article 65(3) of the Constitution.

Two presidents have been impeached since the establishment of theRepublic of Koreain 1948.Roh Moo-hyunin 2004 was impeached by the National Assembly but was overturned by theConstitutional Court.Park Geun-hyein 2016 was impeached by the National Assembly, and the impeachment was confirmed by the Constitutional Court on 10 March 2017.

In February 2021, Judge Lim Seong-geun of the Busan High Court was impeached by the National Assembly for meddling in politically sensitive trials, the first ever impeachment of a judge in Korean history. Unlike presidential impeachments, only a simple majority is required to impeach.Judge Lim's term expired before the Constitutional Court could render a verdict, leading the court to dismiss the case.

Turkey

InTurkey,according to theConstitution,theGrand National Assemblymay initiate an investigation of thepresident,thevice presidentor any member of theCabinetupon the proposal of simple majority of its total members, and within a period less than a month, the approval of three-fifths of the total members.The investigation would be carried out by a commission of fifteen members of theAssembly,each nominated by the political parties in proportion to their representation therein. The commission would submit its report indicating the outcome of the investigation to thespeakerwithin two months. If the investigation is not completed within this period, the commission's time may be renewed for another month. Within ten days of its submission to the speaker, the report would be distributed to all members of theAssembly,and ten days after its distribution, the report would be discussed on the floor. Upon the approval of two thirds of the total number of theAssemblyby secret vote, the person or persons, about whom the investigation was conducted, may be tried before theConstitutional Court.The trial would be finalized within three months, and if not, a one-time additional period of three months shall be granted. The president, about whom an investigation has been initiated, may not call for anelection.Thepresident,who is convicted by theCourt,would be removed from office.

The provision of this article shall also apply to the offenses for which the president allegedly worked during his term of office.

United Kingdom

Main article:Impeachment in the United Kingdom

In theUnited Kingdom,in principle, anybody may be prosecuted and tried by the two Houses ofParliamentfor any crime.The first recorded impeachment is that ofWilliam Latimer, 4th Baron Latimerduring theGood Parliamentof 1376. The latest was that ofHenry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melvillewhich started in 1805 and which ended with his acquittal in June 1806.Over the centuries, the procedure has been supplemented by other forms of oversight includingselect committees,confidence motions,andjudicial review,while the privilege of peers to trial only in the House of Lords was abolished in 1948 (seeJudicial functions of the House of Lords § Trials), and thus impeachment, which has not kept up with modern norms of democracy or procedural fairness, is generally considered obsolete.

United States

Theimpeachment trialofUnited States presidentBill Clintonin 1999, Chief JusticeWilliam H. Rehnquistpresiding. The House managers are seated beside the quarter-circular tables on the left and the president's personal counsel on the right, much in the fashion ofUnited States president Andrew Johnson's trialin 1868.

Main articles:Impeachment in the United StatesandFederal impeachment in the United States

In the federal system,Article One of the United States Constitutionprovides that theHouse of Representativeshas the "sole Power of Impeachment" and the Senate has "the sole Power to try all Impeachments".Article Two provides that "The President, Vice President and all civilOfficers of the United States,shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of,Treason,Bribery,or otherhigh Crimes and Misdemeanors."In the United States, impeachment is the first of two stages; an official may be impeached by a majority vote of the House, but conviction and removal from office in the Senate requires "the concurrence of two thirds of the members present".Impeachment is analogous to anindictment.

According to the House practice manual, "Impeachment is a constitutional remedy to address serious offenses against the system of government. It is the first step in a remedial process – that of removal from public office and possible disqualification from holding further office. The purpose of impeachment is not punishment; rather, its function is primarily to maintain constitutional government."Impeachment may be understood as a unique process involving bothpoliticalandlegalelements.The Constitution provides that "Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law."It is generally accepted that "a former President may be prosecuted for crimes of which he was acquitted by the Senate".

TheU.S. House of Representativeshas impeached an official 22 times since 1789: four times for presidents, fifteen times for federal judges, twice for a Cabinet secretary, and once for a senator.Of the 22, the Senate voted to remove 8 officials impeached by the House of Representatives (all federal judges) from office.The four impeachment trials in the Senate of presidents were:Andrew Johnson in 1868,Bill Clinton in 1998,andDonald Trump in 2019andagain in 2021.All four impeachments were followed by acquittal in the Senate.Animpeachment process was also commenced against Richard Nixon,buthe resignedin 1974 to avoid an impeachment vote.

Almost allstate constitutionsset forth parallel impeachment procedures forstate governments,allowing thestate legislatureto impeach officials of the state government.From 1789 through 2008, 14governorshave been impeached (including two who were impeached twice), of whom seven governors were convicted.

See also

• Impeachment investigation
• List of impeachments of heads of state

External links

• The dictionary definition ofimpeachmentat Wiktionary
• Media related toImpeachmentsat Wikimedia Commons