The streets of Brazil’s major cities were covered by protesters on Sunday demanding the removal of the current president Dilma Rousseff. People went out to protest against the leftist leader as she tries to do her best to save the country from its worst political and economic crisis in a generation.
The demonstrations were the latest in a wave of anti-government rallies that lost momentum late last year but has gained strength from a sweeping corruption investigation nears Rousseff’s inner circle.
The protest that took place on Sunday was so big that it could make a huge effect in order to convince a divided congress to support the protestors with their cause against Rousseff. There’s is no estimates of how many people assisted to the protest but two government sources could tell that in reference with the anti-government rallies in March 2015 which gathered as many as 1 million people, in this protest there was a bunch more of people.
The word from the people
“Dilma out”, “Stop with corruption” These messages were written on banners being held by the protesters who were wearing the national yellow and green colors. It was a peaceful event.
Alexandre Cortes, a 39-year-old engineer said that he completely agreed with the accusation towards Rousseff because the presidential vote in 2014 was financed with dirty money, trickery and corruption. The man was draped in a Brazilian flag in a festive rally in Sao Paulo, the country’s biggest city, and financial capital.
Many blame Rousseff for sinking the economy into its worst recession in at least 25 years. Opinion polls show that more than half of Brazilians favor the impeachment of the president, who was re-elected by a slim margin for a second four-year term in 2014.
Rousseff is the latest leftist leader in Latin America to face social upheaval as a decade-long commodities boom that fueled breakneck growth rates comes to an abrupt end.
Just like in previous protests, in this one, there was a lot of middle-class Brazilians angry over growing allegations of corruption in Rousseff’s administration.
“This government helped many people buy homes, cars, and electronics, but we still don’t have health, education and basic sewage,” said Paulo Santos, a waiter who stopped at the demonstration in Rio de Janeiro before heading to work.
In the capital, Brasilia, protesters inflated a giant doll of Lula wearing a striped prison uniform and chained to a ball that read “Operation Carwash,” the name of the investigation centered on state oil company Petrobras. Police estimated about 100,000 protesters in Brasilia alone.
There were around a few hundred supporters outside of Lula’s home on the outskirts of Sao Paulo wearing red shirts and banners saying “There will not be a coup”
Rousseff, whose popularity is near record lows, has said she will not quit and blamed her opponents for creating the crisis that is sinking the economy.
Political tensions have stalled Rousseff’s legislative agenda, which included measures to limit public spending and overhaul a costly pension system to regain investors’ trust.
Source: Reuters