Roundup: Brazil's Supreme Court suspends former president's cabinet post

A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Friday issued a preliminary injunction to suspend former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's newly appointed cabinet post and returned the corruption case against him to criminal court.

The preliminary injunction holds until the full court can rule on the legality of President Dilma Rousseff's decision to appoint Lula, her predecessor and mentor, as her chief of staff.

The injunction issued by Justice Gilmar Mendes is set to stir up more tensions in the country's volatile political realm, which has witnessed waves of pro- and anti-government protests.

The former president is embroiled in a corruption investigation, but he denies any wrongdoings. Should he become a cabinet minister, he would have immunity from prosecution in criminal court, and can only be tried before the Supreme Court.

Sending the corruption case against Lula back to judge Sergio Moro, who leads the highly controversial investigation against state oil company Petrobras, Mendes said the fact that Lula's appointment had the effect of removing him from Moro's jurisdiction "could amount to an act of fraud against the constitution."

The Brazilian government can appeal the decision.

Early Friday, Lula appeared at a massive demonstration in Sao Paulo and delivered his first public speech since being named chief of staff to the Rousseff government.

Lula said that "there was no more room for hate" in the country, and that he joined the government "not to fight, but to help," according to daily O Globo.

The demonstration held on Sao Paulo's Paulista Avenue saw an estimated 100,000 government supporters turn out, crying for Rousseff not to be impeached.

Lula said that he had suffered "unjustifiable acts of violence," referring to Moro's release of recorded phone conversations he had with Rousseff.

Resembling the popular and eloquent leader he had been during his presidency, Lula said that "Lulinha of peace and love had returned" and that "those who do not agree with us are not less Brazilian than us."

With this phrase, the former president re-used his 2002 slogan of "Lulinha, peace and love," under which he presented a friendly face and sought to shed the image of a combative unionist.

During the Sao Paulo demonstration, Lula was accompanied by Vagner Freitas, president of the Unified Workers' Central (CUT), one of Brazil's leading unions.

"Brazil is suffering a coup against democracy where a judge believes he can replace a vote. Moro is not fighting against Lula or Dilma but against the Brazilian legal system. We will be free of Moro," said Freitas.

Meanwhile, during the opening of a new housing project in the northern state of Bahia, Rousseff was similarly defiant, saying that Brazil was "at risk of taking a step backwards in history."

She also slammed Moro for allegedly breaking the law in releasing the phone conversation recordings, which she viewed as a violation of the guarantees granted to the president.

"My government has asked the federal police to investigate what has happened. My government respects the judiciary of this country. We are now at risk of taking a step backwards in history by politicizing certain institutions," said Rousseff.

While Rousseff and Lula continued their fight back, support for the embattled duo continued to pour in from regional countries.

Bolivian President Evo Morales said, "The right-wing parties in Brazil seek to return to power through a congressional and judicial coup, to punish the Workers' Party, the party of our companion Lula and to kick out our companion Dilma."

Similarly, the government of Uruguay released a statement, stating its "complete backing for President Dilma Rousseff, who was democratically elected by a majority of Brazilians to exercise her functions until Jan. 1, 2019." Endi