Roundup: Brazil's president says she will not to step down

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff reaffirmed that she will not step down from the government, before a scheduled nationwide protest against her government on Sunday.

During an interview for local TV station SBT, aired late on Wednesday, the Brazilian president said she had never thought about resigning, despite the pressure from the opposition, which has repeatedly called for her impeachment.

"Why did I never consider resigning? Because, it is not possible that someone intends to take down a president, elected by popular vote, just for disagreeing with some policies and processes," she said.

"We must learn that democracy demands respect for the institutions, and this is essential, not only for me, but for all other presidents who come after me," added Rousseff.

It was not the first time that the president has made such a statement -- in fact, she appeared in another two events earlier on Wednesday -- making similar speeches and stressing the importance of the matter at different occasions over the past weeks.

Rousseff held a cabinet meeting on Sunday in which she reportedly reaffirmed her intention to publicly counter the opposition's efforts.

The president has been reiterating in the media the importance of respecting institutions and election results for the South American country to overcome its economic problems and to be respected abroad.

The president also commented on the large protest against her government scheduled for Sunday. She said that such actions are a part of democracy, but the president condemned intolerance and violence.

According to Rousseff, intolerance has reached levels unheard of in recent Brazilian history but, there is still no basis for a coup, as Brazil suffered in the 1960s.

"I see a very incipient and artificial attempt to create such a climate," said Rousseff.

President Rousseff is not only suffering from the rising opposition calling for impeachment, but also from friendly fire, as the alliance which re-elected her last year is now shaky.

Some sectors of the President's main allied party PMDB ( Brazilian Democratic Movement Party), to which Brazil's Vice- President Michel Temer is affiliated, have been hostile to the Rousseff in recent times. Included in the number is House of Representatives president Eduardo Cunha, who publicly announced he was cutting ties with the administration. In addition, two minor parties left the alliance last week.

On the other hand, Senate President Renan Calheiros, also affiliated to PMDB, has taken the government's side and presented a series of measures to put the Brazilian economy back on track.

Rousseff and Calheiros have united around this agenda, which, as local media speculated, could also result in isolating Cunha from the rest of his party, minimizing the impact of his hostility within the administration. Endite