Brazil's lower house of Congress is voting on whether to impeach President Dilma Rousseff over charges of manipulating government accounts for political gains - a claim she denies.

The "yes" camp is leading by a wide margin, as the vote reaches its final stage. To succeed, the motion needs a two-thirds majority - or 342 votes.

Rousseff accuses her opponents of mounting a "coup".

Some 25,000 rival protesters are rallying outside Congress.

The lengthy session in the capital Brasilia has heard speeches from both sides.

With 400 of the 513 votes cast, 297 voted to impeach Rousseff, 97 were against, four abstained and two were absent.

If the motion is approved by two-thirds it will be sent to the upper house, the Senate, which will consider the allegations of unlawful activity against her.

If the Senate finds Rousseff guilty, she can be removed from office permanently. She has two opportunities to appeal during the whole process.

(BBC)