THE ASSOCIATED PRESS I AP 360

RIO DE JANEIRO & SAO PAULO | 17 MARCH - ONWARDS

SAO PAULO | AVENIDA PAULISTA ►
RIO DE JANEIRO | AP BUREAU GLASS STUDIO ►

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as his successor’s chief of staff on Thursday and President Dilma Rousseff insisted he would help put the troubled country back on track and denounced attempts to oust her.

Critics have denounced Silva’s appointment as a bold-faced attempt to help him avoid possible detention in a sprawling investigation into corruption at the state-run Petrobras oil company, as Cabinet members are immune from criminal investigations or charges unless they are approved by the Supreme Court.

Anger over Silva’s appointment fueled protests Thursday in cities across the country. And in yet another surprise development, a low-level federal judge issued an injunction suspending Silva’s nomination, though government officials expected it to be swiftly overturned by a higher court.

On Sunday, an estimated 3 million people turned out for anti-government demonstrations nationwide. Protests are planned for Thursday and Friday.

The Associated Press in cooperation with Brazil's NewSource Globo are now operational in Rio de Janeiro.
On Friday additional positions will be available in Sao Paulo.

AP BOOKINGS
WASHINGTON
+1 202 641 9834
bookings@ap.org
aptn.com/gms
Follow us: @AP_GMS