Brazilian Vice President praises institutional stability

Brazil's Vice President Michel Temer on Wednesday hailed the country's strong institutions, and downplayed current tensions between government and opposition forces.

"Even though it is often said that there are crises, the fact remains: we have extraordinary institutional tranquillity," Temer said during a speech in homage to a local politician who recently passed away.

The government and the opposition must work jointly to improve weaknesses, by putting Brazil first, said Temer, whose remarks come amid calls by conservative parties to impeach President Dilma Rousseff.

"More than ever, we need a collective mindset between different social sectors and political parties, so we can move forward together for the benefit of Brazil," he said.

Over the weekend, the main opposition party reiterated its call for impeachment in the wake of corruption scandals at state oil giant Petrobras.

While Rousseff has not been directly implicated in the long- running kickback and bribery scheme, opponents say the wrongdoings took place under her watch.