BRASILIA, Shawwal 02, 1437, July 07, 2016, SPA -- The corruption-tainted speaker of the lower house of Brazil's Congress announced his resignation on Thursday, ending months of political bickering that threatened to deepen a legislative stalemate blamed for keeping the economy mired in recession, according to Reuters. An emotional Eduardo Cunha, who had already been suspended from his speakership duties, said with a cracking voice that he was the victim of persecution for starting the process to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, who has been suspended since May 12. "Only my resignation can put an end to this endless instability. The lower house cannot bear to wait forever," Cunha told reporters in a hastily called news conference. A congressional ethics committee last month recommended stripping Cunha of his seat and banning him from politics for eight years for lying about Swiss bank accounts linked to a vast political graft scandal. Cunha has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The full chamber is expected to remove Cunha from his seat in mid-July. Brazilian media has speculated that Cunha's resignation could be part of a deal with his allies to vote against his full removal from the lower house. --SPA 23:08 LOCAL TIME 20:08 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w