Brazilians protest against scandal-hit President Temer

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro to express their dissatisfaction with austerity measures proposed by President Michel Temer, who is embroiled in a corruption scandal.

Demonstrators called for Temer’s resignation as they gathered in central Rio de Janeiro on Friday, carrying balloons reading, “Temer out!”

Chanting slogans and beating drums, the protesters further accused the Brazilian president of abusing his power.

The rally came after General Secretary of the Brazilian Presidency Geddel Vieira Lima stepped down. He became the sixth minister to quit in Brazil since Temer took office earlier this year.

The resignation came after ex-Brazilian culture minister Marcelo Calero told federal investigators that Temer and Vieira Lima had pressured him to approve a building project in the northeastern seaside city of Salvador de Bahia.

“This mobilization in the street is in addition to many others in the whole country, not only to fight the government agenda to reduce social rights. There is also here a new situation, the self-destruction of the government with the recent scandals of Temer’s government with the ministers, Geddel and Calero,” said protester Jandira Feghali, of the Communist Party of Brazil.

Temer came to power in May after former president Dilma Rousseff was impeached for manipulating the state budget. Rousseff denied the accusation and said that her political opponents had carried out a “parliamentary coup”.

Since then, however, Temer has faced corruption allegations against his own PMDB party.