Brazil President says won’t leave office

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has dug in against a swirling political crisis, rejecting calls to resign and closing ranks with her embattled predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

With money-laundering charges against Lula adding to the pressure on her administration, Rousseff vehemently defended her mentor on Friday.

She said she would even be proud to have him in her cabinet — a move that could be used to protect the ex-President.

Ms Rousseff is facing an impeachment drive, a bruising recession, a scandal at state oil company Petrobras, and a probe into alleged electoral violations.

But the leftist President said her opponents’ calls for her to resign showed they lacked the evidence to remove her through impeachment. “Resigning is a voluntary act. Those who want my resignation are recognising that there’s no real basis to request my exit from this position,” Ms Rousseff said.