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WORLD NEWSTuesday 15 March 2016
Brazil government tries to regroup after huge protests
JENNY BARCHFIELD Demonstrators demand the impeachment of Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff during a rally in estimated there is 65 per-
Associated Press Brasilia, Brazil. Rousseff’s chief of staff on Monday acknowledged popular discontent with Brazil’s cent probability that Rous-
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A political class but said the flagging economy was the main reason behind the turnout. seff will not serve out her
day after huge protest term, which ends in 2018.
rallies urged the ouster of (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) “We now think an im-
President Dilma Rousseff, peachment vote will occur
her chief of staff on Mon- “The fact is that Sunday Wagner said the govern- her approval ratings dip by May, and Rousseff will
day acknowledged popu- can be seen as a wa- ment was interpreting the into the single digits, she not survive it,” the state-
lar discontent with Brazil’s tershed moment, which Sunday’s high turnout as a has ruled out resigning, say- ment said.
political class but said the frightens the government sign that “the people are ing last week that it was ob- Francisco Fonseca, a po-
flagging economy was the (and) pressures Congress,” sick and tired of the politi- jectionable to demand the litical science professor at
main reason behind the Folha said in an editorial cal class.” resignation of an elected the Getulio Vargas Foun-
turnout. Monday. “Surprised by the But while “everything con- president without concrete dation university in Sao
Jaques Wagner’s com- strong turnout on Sunday, tributed” to pushing peo- evidence the leader had Paulo, believes Rousseff still
ments came at a news the government has been ple onto the streets, “the violated the constitution. has “a few cards.”
conference after Rousseff put on alert that it needs to main thing is people’s lives, The government hopes “There is a situation of un-
met with her closest advis- act quickly” to avoid Rous- meaning the economy,” that pro-government dem- governability, and that
ers early Monday as the seff’s impeachment. he said. onstrations scheduled for gives more room to a nar-
government sought to ex- Lower house Speaker Edu- “If everything is great, citi- Friday will help shore up rative that her removal is
plain what leading news- ardo Cunha, a Rousseff zens aren’t even looking,” Rousseff’s position. inevitable. But it isn’t that
papers called the biggest foe, is expected to form a he was quoted as saying But, in a statement Mon- simple. There will be pro-
political demonstration in commission to begin im- by Globo television net- day, the U.S.-based Eurasia tests in her defense on Fri-
Brazilian history. peachment proceedings work’s G1 Internet portal. Group political and eco- day and she still needs a
An estimated 3 million peo- sometime this week. Although Rousseff has seen nomic risk consulting firm little more than 170 votes
ple took part in more than out of 513 deputies to sur-
100 protests nationwide, vive,” he told The Associ-
meaning Sunday’s anti- ated Press. Eurasia Group’s
Rousseff demonstrations statement said Sunday’s
were larger than mass pro- turnout was fanned by the
tests in 1984 demanding di- “ballooning” corruption
rect presidential elections probe at the state-run en-
amid the country’s military ergy company Petrobras
dictatorship, according to and the “highly polarized
the respected newspaper environment” after Rous-
Folha de S. Paulo. seff’s predecessor and
Analysts agreed that the mentor, former President
dissatisfaction demonstrat- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva,
ed by the protests compli- was taken to a Sao Paulo
cates Rousseff’s already police station for question-
difficult position. She’s ing in the Petrobras case.
fighting impeachment Among other issues, fed-
proceedings in Congress eral investigators say they
amid the worst recession are trying to determine if
in decades and a sprawl- Silva sold his influence in
ing corruption investigation the current administration
closing in on key figures in in exchange for speeches
her Workers’ Party. and donations to his non-
profit foundation, Instituto
Venezuela recovers remains of 4 missing miners Lula. The more than 100-
page transcript of Silva’s
FABIOLA SANCHEZ A banner with photos of several missing miners hangs on a tree with one of the world’s questioning was released
Associated Press near Tumeremo, Venezuela. Officials have recovered the re- highest murder rates and Monday. In it, Silva denies
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) mains of four people belonging to a group of over 20 missing widespread impunity. Fear- having asked for money for
— Officials have recovered miners believed to have been killed by a gang seeking control ing unrest after the state’s his foundation from any of
the remains of four people over a wildcat gold claim in southeastern Venezuela. governor denied the mas- the construction compa-
belonging to a group of sacre took place and out- nies ensnared in the Petro-
over 20 missing miners be- (Fabiola Ferrero/El Estimulo via AP) raged relatives blocked a bras scandal but acknowl-
lieved to have been killed highway to Brazil in protest, edged that his aides may
by a gang seeking control The massacre last week customed to morbid tales President Nicolas Madu- have made such requests.
over a wildcat gold claim rocked Venezuelans ac- of violence in a country ro’s government has dis- Silva also explicitly states
in southeastern Venezuela. patched more than 1,000 his intention of running for
Police investigating the soldiers and cabinet offi- office again in 2018.
massacre made the grisly cials to search for the miss- Three days before Sun-
discovery on Monday in ing miners. day’s protests, Sao Paulo
an area of jungle in Bolivar The circumstances behind state prosecutors request-
state near where the min- the massacre remain un- ed Silva’s arrest in a sepa-
ers went missing a week clear, however. Ortega rate case. They accuse the
ago, Attorney General Lu- said she believes 21 peo- former president of money
isa Ortega said Monday in ple were killed by a crimi- laundering for allegedly
an interview with Globovi- nal gang led by an Ecua- being the secret owner of
sion. dorean. a beachfront flat in the city
of Guaruja.
