Even as Mr Temer sought to keep Mr Rousseff's coalition from further disintegrating,fellow members of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB),her main ally,dined with senators of the opposition Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) to discuss a pact to fill the leadership vacuum.
Militants of the Workers Party watch fireworks in support of Rousseff in Brasilia,during transmission of the Workers Party's TV program.Credit:AP
"There is a political crisis that is deepening the economic crisis,and the government's ability to handle its coalition in Congress has diminished drastically,"said Wellington Moreira Franco,a PMDB leader who attended the dinner.
"We have to build a national agreement as soon as possible to restore confidence,contain inflation,rebalance the government's accounts and restore growth,"he said.
Banging on pots and pans has become a central element of protests against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.Credit:AP
Impeachment of Mr Rousseff was not discussed at the dinner,Mr Moreira Franco said. But he blamed policy mistakes in Ms Rousseff's first term for the woes of Latin America's largest economy,which is expected to shrink 1.7 per cent this year.
While opinion polls show Brazilians increasingly favour impeaching the president,senior leaders of the PSDB party,including former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso,have not openly backed this option so far. That could change as her political situation deteriorates.
A man hits pans at a Sao Paulo bar in protest against the speech of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff,broadcast on television.Credit:Reuters
"We practically do not have a government. How can Brazil continue for the next 3½ years with no government,"said Senator Cassio Lima,PSDB leader in the Senate.
Mr Rousseff is not a target of the state-run oil conglomerate,Petrobras,corruption probe,but the PSDB is hoping evidence will be produced showing that bribe money helped fund her re-election campaign. That could lead to a new election that would favour Aecio Neves,the PSDB candidate who narrowly lost to Ms Rousseff in October.
A more serious risk for the president could come from a federal audit court ruling expected in late August on alleged manipulation of government accounts last year. Speaker Cunha is expected to pounce on the decision,if it goes against the government,to start impeachment proceedings in the lower chamber.
"This is the most serious case against her because it involves the crime of violating the budget law,"said PSDB Senator Aloysio Nunes. A dozen impeachment requests already received by Congress have less merit,he said.
The next gauge of government stability will be the size of the turnout for a nationwide protest against Ms Rousseff on August 16,which the PSDB will openly back for the first time.
A new poll on Thursday showed Ms Rousseff's approval rating was the lowest for any Brazilian president in the last three decades,with seven out of 10 respondents wanting to see her impeached.
On Thursday night,pockets of protesters gathered in major Brazilian cities,honking horns and banging pots during the broadcast of a political TV segment of Ms Rousseff,former President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and other Workers'Party officials.