Lula da Silva

Thousands of protesters have marched in the Brazilian capital to demand that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva step down over a deepening corruption scandal.

The demonstrators took place in Brasilia Wednesday and was much larger than a pro-da Silva rally Tuesday. A group of leftist parties organized the latest protest.

The scandal involves accusations the ruling Workers Party paid monthly bribes to legislators to support government bills in Congress. The party has apologized to the country for the crisis, blaming it on rogue aides.

Last week, President da Silva publicly apologized for the scandal, but denied any involvement.

A recent poll showed the scandal has hurt Mr. da Silva's popularity and that he could lose next year's election.