Thousands of Brazilians flocked to the streets of Brazil last weekend to call for the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro amid his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to reports, Brazil has reported 600,000 deaths since the pandemic started in March 2020. And the country has the highest death toll after the United States.
Due to the pandemic, over 14 million Brazilians are also unemployed, which results in the worsening of the economic condition in the country.
However, even though the unemployment rate in Brazil is currently at its peak, the prices for food, oil, and other basic necessities continue to rise.
Brazilians are calling for the president's impeachment
On Saturday, demonstrators marched to the front of the National Congress with huge signs urging Bolsonaro to resign in tow.
According to CNN, the protests against the president serves as the opposition's response to a rally held in favor of Bolsonaro last month.
However, last weekend's rally was much smaller compared to the one that took place on Sept. 7 in support of the president.
Center-left politician and third runner-up in the recent presidential elections, Ciro Gomes attended last week's rally in Rio de Janeior. Gomes was also joined by opposition leader, congressman Alessandro Molon.
In Sao Paulo, a rally also took place over the weekend. And the gathering was attended by second runner-up Fernando Haddad and former president Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva's Workers Party.
Will Jair Bolsonaro be impeached like Dilma Rousseff?
If the Brazilian protesters will succeed, Bolsonaro could become the second president to ever be impeached in the country.
In 2016, the first female president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff was impeached after five years in office after she was found guilty of breaking Brazil's budget laws.
Rousseff received a 61-20 vote, but the numbers were not enough to have her disqualified from her political rights.
Other than Rousseff, three former Brazilian presidents, Deodoro da Fonseca, Getulio Vargas, Janio Quadros, and Fernando Collor resigned from their posts.
Jair Bolsonaro's COVID-19 response criticized
Thousands of Brazilians are not pleased with how Bolsonaro is handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
The president has not been vaccinated, and he makes public appearances without a mask on.
"It is very painful to see that health and education are being destroyed, and there are many starving people in the country. We need Bolsonaro out of the government, his time has passed," Marilena Magnano, a Brazilian resident, told the Associated Press.
Brazilian president's approval ratings declined in recent months
Over the years, Bolsonaro's approval ratings have declined considerably. However, he is still more popular compared to the other presidents that came before him and that were eventually impeached.
Since he was named as the president of Brazil, over 130 impeachment requests have already been filed. However, lower house speaker, Arthur Lira has not opened the proceedings.
Brazil's Supreme Court recently approved several investigations into the president.
Last month, Bolsonaro uttered harsh words while at the celebration of the country's independence. He said that only God can remove him from power, and Bolsonaro also lashed out at Congress and the Supreme Court for persecuting him and his political allies.
According to BBC, Bolsonaro is known for giving impassioned speeches where he portrays himself as the victim. But following several calls for impeachment, the president's rhetoric reportedly became more belligerent.
And last month's rally on Independence Day was reportedly done to show Brazilians that he can still draw in huge crowds of supporters.
Next year, Brazilians will elect a new president. It is unclear if Bolsonaro will win, but he won't go down without a fight.
