Some Brazilian Protesters Call on Prez to Kill Herself

200K take to the streets to protest bribery scandal, shrinking economy
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 17, 2015 6:46 AM CDT
Some Brazilian Protesters Call on Prez to Kill Herself
Demonstrators hold a sign that reads in Portuguese "Dilma out" during a protest demanding the impeachment of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015.   (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Some 200,000 protesters made their voices heard yesterday in 200 cities across Brazil, protesting a shrinking economy and a bribery scandal involving government-controlled oil company, Petrobras, reports the Guardian. A protest in Rio de Janeiro resembled a party, with some wearing bathing suits and snapping selfies as samba music boomed, reports the New York Times. But not all the protesters were upbeat. Many called on the military to seize power, while others urged leftist president Dilma Rousseff—who is no stranger to such protests and whose approval ratings are stuck in the single digits—to kill herself.

Many say Rousseff must have known about a multibillion dollar bribery scandal at Petrobras while chairwoman of the company's board, before she was elected in 2010. The BBC reports she was cleared of wrongdoing in an attorney general investigation, but members of her government have been connected to the scandal. "She must be impeached or resign for ultimately she is responsible for all the corruption and the economic mess this country is in," a protester tells CBS News. Rousseff says she will not resign; a recent poll found two-thirds of Brazilians want to see her impeached. (More Brazil stories.)

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