Judges knock down challenge to Brazil’s ex-president
SAO PAULO — A Brazilian appeals court Friday slapped down a second attempt to block a cabinet post for former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and supporters rallied to back an embattled government facing a host of crises.
Silva was sworn in Thursday as chief aide to President Dilma Rousseff, a post that will let the charismatic politician help the president battle an impeachment effort and one that also makes it harder to investigate any possible links to a corruption scandal at the state oil company.
Opponents quickly won injunctions from two regional federal judges to block his appointment, but both were overturned.
Supporters of Silva, who was one of the world’s most famous leaders as president from 2003 to 2010, began to gather for rallies in a handful of cities across Brazil, particularly in the industrial south, where the former factory worker has his base.
The political turmoil comes as Brazil prepares to host the Summer Olympics in August and Latin America’s most populous nation faces crises on several fronts. The country is at the center of an outbreak of the Zika virus, which health experts think can cause abnormally small heads in newborns. Its economy, long an engine for neighboring countries, has sharply contracted by almost 4 percent. Inflation has spiked the last year and announcements of job layoffs have become common.
Rousseff ’s opponents accuse her of trying to help Silva avoid legal woes. Less than two weeks ago, he was taken in for questioning in the sprawling Petrobras kickback probe that has ensnared allies and rivals of the former president. Cabinet members cannot be investigated, charged or imprisoned unless authorized by the Supreme Court.