RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil's suspended president Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor and left-wing ally Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will boycott the opening ceremony at the Rio Olympics, officials said Tuesday. While Rousseff faces ejection from office, Lula is also struggling against serious corruption allegations. Lula, who as president was instrumental in Rio's winning bid as Olympic host, faces serious corruption allegations. On Monday, Rousseff said in an interview with French radio RFI that she would refuse to attend the opening ceremony with anything less than presidential status. "Lula will not go," echoed Jose Chrispiniano, a spokesman at the Lula Institute in Sao Paulo.

Source: Bangkok Post July 26, 2016 21:11 UTC