Even after Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff called an emergency Cabinet meeting in response to anti-government growing protests, she has remained 'stoically silent,' as reported by the Associated Press. The anti-government protests reportedly range in scope, denouncing everything from poor public services to the billions of dollars spent preparing for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, both held in the country. Demonstrators were planned for mobilizations in 10 cities on Saturday, the AP also reported.
The country's president was a former leftist guerrilla herself who had been imprisoned and tortured during the country's military dictatorship. President Rousseff's quiet stance to the protests, critics argue, has enabled the political crisis to worsen.
"Dilma Rousseff and [Brasilia Governor] Agnelo Queiroz are the epitome of Brazilian rulers," wrote political commentator Fernando Rodrigues in the country's biggest newspaper, Folha de S. Paulo.
"They embody the perplexity and the lack of leadership capabilities of several parties' politicians vis-a-vis the new phenomena of protests without leaders or defined proposals. ... It seems they are just waiting and hoping the tsunami will end."
The common consensus, according to the AP, is there is a lack of organization and demands behind the protests. Several cities canceled the transit fare hikes, which was the driving impetus at the beginning of the protests last week.
Protesters and police clashed in several cities into the early hours of Friday.
At least one protester was killed in Sao Paulo state when a driver apparently became enraged about being unable to travel along a street and rammed his car into a group of demonstrators, the AP also reported.
In Rio de Janiero, where an estimated 300,000 demonstrators were, there were running clashes between riot police and young protesters, news reports said.
A Facebook page has displayed numerous photos of the nationwide anti-government protests.
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