THOUSANDS IN BRAZIL PROTEST BOLSONARO, SEEK HIS IMPEACHMENT

 Associated Press 3 October 2021

© Provided by Associated Press Demonstrators rally alongside a large inflatable doll depicting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as the Grim Reaper, during a protest against him, calling for his impeachment over his government handling of the pandemic and accusations of corruption in the purchases of COVID-19 vaccines in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — With Brazil’s presidential election one year away, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and dozens of other cities around the country to protest President Jair Bolsonaro and call for his impeachment over his government’s handling of the pandemic.

© Provided by Associated Press Demonstrators gather during a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, calling for his impeachment over his government handling of the pandemic and accusations of corruption in the purchases of COVID-19 vaccines in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

The protests, smaller than those in support of Bolsonaro last Sept. 7, were promoted by leftist parties and some union movements linked to the former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Worker´s Party. Da Silva is widely expected to run against Bolsonaro in Brazil's Oct. 2, 2022 presidential election.

© Provided by Associated Press Demonstrators gather during a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, calling for his impeachment over his government handling of the pandemic and accusations of corruption in the purchases of COVID-19 vaccines in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Saturday’s protest targeted the president for his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bolsonaro, who is not vaccinated and doesn’t usually wear a mask, has underestimated the severity of the virus and promoted crowds during the pandemic. Some 597,000 have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, a country of 212 million people. Demonstrators also protested surging inflation in mainstays like food and electricity.

© Provided by Associated Press Demonstrators gather during a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, calling for his impeachment over his government handling of the pandemic and accusations of corruption in the purchases of COVID-19 vaccines in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

“It is very painful to see that health and education are being destroyed, and there are many starving people in the country,” Marilena Magnano, a 75-year-old retiree, told The Associated Press. “We need Bolsonaro out of the government, his time has passed”.

© Provided by Associated Press Demonstrators gather next to a large inflatable doll depicting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during a protest against him, calling for his impeachment over his government handling of the pandemic and accusations of corruption in the purchases of COVID-19 vaccines in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

The president’s approval ratings have steadily declined throughout the year, but he remains far more popular than prior presidents who were impeached - most recently Dilma Rousseff of the Workers Party in 2016.

© Provided by Associated Press Demonstrators gather during a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, calling for his impeachment over his government handling of the pandemic and accusations of corruption in the purchases of COVID-19 vaccines in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Over 130 impeachment requests have been filed since the start of Bolsonaro’s administration, but the lower house’s speaker, Arthur Lira, and his predecessor have declined to open proceedings. Division among the opposition is the key reason analysts consider it unlikely there will be enough pressure on Lira to open impeachment process.