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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Protests in Brazil demand President Dilma Rousseff's Impeachment Sunday March 15,2015

More than a million Brazilians have joined demonstrations against President Dilma Rousseff, with many asking for her impeachment. 

Protests have taken place across 22 Brazilian states and the federal capital, Brasilia.

The largest demonstration went ahead in Sao Paulo, a major opposition stronghold, attracting more than 500,000 people.

Many of the protesters waved Brazilian flags and wore the yellow shirts of the national football team

Thousands gathered outside Brasilia's modernist Congress building to protest against corruption
Protest in Brasilia
 
 In Belo Horizonte the protest drew more than 20,000 people
Anti-Rousseff protest in Belo Horizonte
 "Enough!" reads the banner carried by a protester in Rio de Janeiro
Protest in Rio

Opposition parties have backed Sunday's protests but have not openly called for impeachment of the president, says the BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo.

Senator Aecio Neves, who was defeated by a narrow margin in October's presidential vote, issued a statement praising the protests.

Senator Aecio Neves said Brazilians "went to the streets to reunite with their virtues, their values and also with their dreams".


The protesters say the president must have known about a corruption scandal in the state oil firm, Petrobras.

The political opposition say much of the alleged bribery took place when she was head of the company.

But President Dilma Rousseff has been exonerated in an investigation by the attorney general and denies involvement.

Most of the politicians accused of taking bribes in a kickback scheme come from the governing coalition.

After the protests, the government promised a series of measures to combat corruption and impunity.

Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo said the government saw the rallies as an "expression of democracy".

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