Brazil: Thousands of protesters demand President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment

Tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets of Brazil to call for President Dilma Rousseff to be impeached. Rousseff has seen declining poll numbers, with many voters blaming her for failing to eradicating corruption in the government.

According to the BBC, 137,000 demonstrators took to the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro and marched outside congress in the capital of Brasilia. Protestors, wearing the jerseys of the Brazilian national football team, sang the national anthem and carried posters saying: "Dilma Out".

Tens of thousands of protesters also took to the streets of Sao Paulo, the BBC reported. Two protests against Rousseff and her left-wing Workers' Part were held in March and April. Reuters reported that recent polls reveal two in three Brazilians support calls for Rousseff's impeachment.

"We want things to change and if the people don't go in the street that's impossible," retired engineer Elino Alves de Moraes said.

A government spokesman said the demonstrations were a "normal part of democracy," according to Reuters. Protests have gained momentum as unemployment continues to rise and inflation presage the worst economic downturn since the 1990s.

Pro-Rousseff protests have also taken place, with her supporters saying calls for her impeachment were a coup attempt. However, even Rousseff's supporters have been turned off by the government's efforts to keep the country's investment-grade credit rating.

"I'm coming out to show my indignation ... But I don't trust the lawmakers either. It's hard to see how things are going to get better," 65-year-old retired metalworker Francisco Mosack told Reuters.

The Rouseff administration had been plagued by a 17-month-old bribery and money-laundering investigation that has not unveiled any evidence against the president. However, if Rousseff were to be impeached, the presidency would be taken over by Vice President Michel Temer.