RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to put suspended President Dilma Rousseff on trial, bringing the nation’s first female president a step closer to being permanently removed and underscoring her failure to change lawmakers’ minds the last several months.

After some 15 hours of debate, senators voted 59-21 to put her on trial for breaking fiscal rules in her managing of the federal budget. It was the final step before a trial and vote on whether to definitively remove her from office, expected later this month. The political drama is playing out while Rio de Janeiro is hosting the Olympic Games, which run through Aug. 21.

The outcome was widely expected: The Senate already voted in May to impeach and remove Rousseff from office for up to 180 days while the trial was prepared.

Wednesday’s vote underscored that efforts to remove her may have actually gained steam despite her attempts to woo senators who have expressed doubt about the governing ability of interim President Michel Temer.

Senators pushing for her removal only needed a simple majority to call for the trial. Not only did they get much more than that, they also garnered an ample margin over the super-majority — at least 54 — they will need to permanently remove her.

Jose Eduardo Cardozo, who was attorney general in Rousseff’s administration and is leading her defense, said that he would look at appeals to the nation’s top court and that several senators who voted in favor of this move may be reluctant to take the heavier step of removing her from office.

‘‘In that way, the final vote isn’t tethered to today’s result,’’ he said.

Still, the situation does not look hopeful for Rousseff, the first female president in Latin America’s largest nation. Previous appeals to the Supreme Federal Tribunal, the nation’s top court, have failed.

Associated Press