MANILA, Philippines, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- The Philippine Congress Tuesday voted down a bid by the opposition to impeach President Gloria Arroyo on charges of election fraud.
More than half the 236 members of the House of Representatives voted in support of an earlier Justice Committee decision to dismiss the impeachment complaint, Channel NewsAsia reported.
The opposition vowed they would continue to challenge Arroyo in the Supreme Court and in the streets, however. Former President Corazon Aquino, along with two defeated presidential candidates, led some 5,000 protesters in a march on the Congress, calling for Arroyo to resign.
The government deployed about 1,000 riot police at the Congress building, backed by soldiers, in case of violence.
The Arroyo government has faced a crisis since a taped telephone conversation was made public in June, appearing to support allegations that the president instructed an election official to rig the presidential vote.
Arroyo denies any wrongdoing, claiming the conversation was merely a lapse of judgment.
House Speaker Jose de Venecia called on the Philippine people to rally behind the president, saying that despite her faults, her leadership was the country's best option.
