NEARLY a million Brazilians took to the streets on Thursday to fight back opposition attempts to impeach Workers Party President Dilma Rousseff.

The Movement of Landless Peasants and the United Workers Central, South America’s largest trade union, joined the marches across the country.

Newspaper O Globo reported that at least 876,000 people took part.

Speakers at the marches attacked Chamber of Deputies Speaker Eduardo Cunha, a former ally of Ms Rousseff who has been leading calls for her impeachment.

Mr Cunha split from the Workers Party in mid-July over corruption allegations that he claimed were politically motivated.

The Attorney General’s Office charged him and former president Senator Fernando Collor on Thursday over the scandal at state oil company Petrobras, in which billions were allegedly paid in bribes over more than a decade.

Mr Cunha was charged with corruption and money laundering following accusations of taking £3.2 million in bribes between 2006 and 2012 in connection with the construction of two Petrobras drilling ships.

Prosecutors refused to detail the allegations against Mr Collor, saying it would jeopardise the investigation.

Both men deny any wrongdoing.Demonstrators also criticised Finance Minister and former International Monetary Fund economist Joaquim Levy, who has advanced austerity cuts to social programmes.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lent his support to Ms Rousseff via social media, posting a photo of her predecessor Inacio Lula da Silva with late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

Government opponents have been trying to link Mr Lula to the Petrobras scandal, but parties, unions and social movements rallied outside the Lula Institute in Sao Paolo in solidarity with him.

Under Brazilian law, charges against federal congressmen and other top government officials can only be filed and judged by the Supreme Court, which is expected to take years to rule on the cases.