Rio de Janeiro, July 9 (IANS) Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has vowed that she would never stand down, one day after she was invited to attend the Rio Olympics in August.
During a march in Sao Paulo organised by the labour movements, Rousseff on Friday said "they have asked me and pressured me to resign. But I never will ... because the people gave me 54 million votes".
She said that "a woman never quits, because a woman never never stops fighting", Xinhua news agency reported.
In a press conference on Thursday, Brazilian Sports Minister Leonardo Picciani said Rousseff would have a seat on the main podium, alongside other former Brazilian presidents, in recognition of her efforts to bring the games to Brazil.
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Picciani made it clear that the interim government does not see Rousseff taking part in the opening ceremony, adding that "the games were an effort for all of Brazil".
This week, Rousseff said she felt she was "the mother" of the Rio Olympic Games and Lula was "the father" as they took charge of all the "preparations and work" needed for the event.
---IANS
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