Brazil was thrown into a constitutional crisis yesterday after a judge blocked President Dilma Rousseff’s appointment of predecessor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to her cabinet, prompting clashes in Congress and on the streets.

As Mr Lula da Silva’s swearing-in ceremony drew to a close, a federal judge issued an injunction suspending the appointment on grounds it prevented “the free exercise of justice” in corruption investigations that include allegations against the former president.

Opposition politicians hailed the decision as a triumph for Brazilian democracy, while the government vowed to appeal, lambasting the order as part of a “coup” by the country’s elite, reminiscent of the period of military rule. Brazilian assets rallied as investors bet on the government’s collapse.