Over a million rally in Brazil

More than a million people have turned out in Brazil for demonstrations against the government of recently re-elected leftist president Dilma Rousseff.

More than a million people have turned out in Brazil for demonstrations against leftist president Dilma Rousseff.

Rousseff's government has become a target of rising discontent amid a faltering economy and a massive corruption scandal at state oil giant Petrobras.

A million of the protesters came out in the economic capital Sao Paulo, according to local police estimates on Twitter.

Protesters also demonstrated in 74 other cities and towns across the country, with tens of thousands showing up in the capital of Brasilia and thousands more protesting in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador de Bahia.

Dressed in the yellow and green of Brazil's flag, many protesters demanded the impeachment of Rousseff who has just begun her second term after re-election at the end of 2014.

In Rio de Janeiro, people waved Brazilian flags along the coastal Copacabana avenue behind a truck blaring slogans against Rousseff.

"Out Dilma, out PT," people chanted.

The large mobilisation was reminiscent of the demonstrations Brazil saw in mid-2013 as people protested transport fare increases and the huge cost of staging the World Cup and Olympics.

Dozens of political figures, including close allies of Rousseff, and former Petrobras executives are under investigation over a kickback and money laundering scheme that saw an estimated $US3.8 billion ($A4.94 billion) creamed off inflated contracts over a decade at the state-owned oil producer.

No one has been convicted yet but some of the alleged wrongdoing took place while Rousseff was chairman of the Petrobras board.

Twenty-two deputies, 13 senators and two governors have been implicated in the bribe-taking allegations. Rousseff is not being investigated.

In addition to the corruption scandal at Petrobras, Rousseff is also facing rising inflation and a Brazilian economy that is on the brink of recession.


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Source: AAP


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