BRASÍLIA: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's fight against impeachment gathered speed when tens of thousands of people marched nationwide to oppose what they said was a "coup."
The rallies late Thursday were part of a concerted attempt by Rousseff to turn the tide ahead of an impeachment vote over her alleged manipulation of government accounts to disguise the depth of Brazil's recession during her 2014 reelection.
Further boosting Rousseff, her chief ally in the spiraling political crisis -- fiery ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- won a major court battle that removes him from the jurisdiction of a crusading anti-corruption judge.
The peaceful demonstrators, many waving the red flags of Rousseff's Workers' Party, gathered in 31 cities, including Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and northern centers like Recife.
The Globo news site quoted police estimates for total turnout at more than 110,000, while organizers claimed nearly 600,000. At one of the larger rallies, in Brasilia, police told AFP that at least 25,000 to 30,000 people marched.
"No to the coup," said one placard popular at the protests. "Democracy," read a large banner at the gathering in Rio, where more than 5,000 people turned out across the city some four months ahead of the 2016 Olympics.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil's financial powerhouse, Francisco Ranieri, 50, said he had taken to the streets "because now is the moment."
"The opposition wants to push Dilma from power to end the people's government," added Ranieri, a shopkeeper.
"Dilma is the victim of a coup," said another demonstrator, teacher Ana Cristina Bentes, 52.
Lula, the hugely influential founder of the Workers' Party and pillar of Brazil's left, had been due to lead the Brasilia rally but cancelled at the last minute. His spokesman did not explain the change in plan.
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