Lula's appointment to cabinet leads to protests in Brazil

Brazilians took to the streets of several cities in the country on Wednesday after President Dilma Rousseff appointed her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to chief of staff.

The move was reportedly designed to help shield the former president from being prosecuted.

Most protests were rather small, gathering only a few dozen people. However, in the capital city Brasilia, some 5,000 people gathered in front of the government's headquarters to protest Rousseff's decision.

In Sao Paulo, where opposition to Lula and Rousseff runs strong, people demanded the president's resignation and Lula's arrest.

The former president is under investigation for supposedly hiding assets and money laundering related to the state-owned oil firm Petrobras, and his appointment to the cabinet was seen by some as an attempt to evade justice since the position will grant him immunity to all prosecution, except from the Supreme Court.

The Sao Paulo Industry Federation participated in the protest and lit up the organization's building with a message calling for the Rousseff's resignation.

By appointing Lula, Rousseff hopes to gain back some support from allied parties and serve out the rest of her term, which lasts until December 2018, news reports said.

But with a government facing strong opposition and a coalition on the verge of collapsing, it is yet to be seen whether the move can work. Rousseff's approval rate is low, and an impeachment process against her may begin. Endi