As Venezuelans endured more power outages, police scuffled with protesters demonstrating against the government of Nicolas Maduro. Opposition leader Juan Guaido has called for people to take to the streets.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/E. Verdugo
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Venezuelan opposition activists scuffled with police on Saturday, in the runup to a rally intended to keep up pressure on acting President Nicolas Maduro.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido met with supporters in Caracas and spoke out against the Venezuelan government. He announced that he would embark on a national tour and eventually lead a nationwide march on the capital, Caracas.
"Once we've finished the tour, the organization in every state, we'll announce the date when all together we'll come to Caracas," said the 35-year-old leader of the legislature, who is recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries.
Security forces thwarted what was meant to be a bigger march. They did not allow a stage to be set up, leading Guaido to speak from the back of a pickup truck, opposition sources said.
Protesters shouted at officers and pushed up against their riot shields. One woman was hit with pepper spray, according to a local broadcaster.
Maduro's Socialist Party organized its own competing march on Saturday to protest against what it calls imperialism by the United States.
Massive blackout still ongoing
The turmoil took place as the oil-rich OPEC nation was plunged into darkness on Thursday evening in what the governing Socialist Party called an act of US-sponsored sabotage. But opposition critics blamed the blackout on Maduro's government, saying it was the result of two decades of mismanagement and corruption.
Electricity remained intermittent, in what has been categorized as the country's worst blackout in decades. The power flickered on and off in parts of Caracas on Saturday morning. But in much of the country, it has remained out since Thursday afternoon.
Maduro acknowledged that the state was having difficulty restoring power, but said it was due to a new cyberattack.
Maduro told supporters in Caracas that almost 70 percent of power had been restored when "we received at midday another cyberattack at one of the generators that was working perfectly and that disturbed and undid everything we had achieved.
"The right wing, together with the empire, has stabbed the electricity system, and we are trying to cure it soon," he said.
Blackout deaths reported
Two rights groups focused on health issues said the blackout had contributed to the deaths on Friday of a baby and a teenager, with hospitals unable to provide enough backup energy generation. Authorities have not commented.
The massive power outage has intensified the hardship of a country already crippled by food and medicine shortages.
"We're tired of going so many hours without power, we want Maduro to leave," Maricela Ruiz, 55, told news agency Reuters, holding a sign at a rally in the western city of San Cristobal. "The little food we have is going bad. We don't have enough money to buy my grandson's baby formula. We need help."
Venezuela has been mired in a major political crisis since Guaido invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency in January following the 2018 election, which Maduro won but was widely considered fraudulent. More than 50 countries, including Germany, support Guaido's plan to lead Venezuela to fair elections.
Maduro said Guaido is a puppet of Washington and dismisses his claim to the presidency as an effort by the administration of US President Donald Trump to control Venezuela's oil wealth.
Venezuela on the brink
Venezuela is facing collapse amid multiple crises. DW takes a look at what has brought the oil-rich nation to its knees.
In March 2017, violent protests erupted across the country in response to a Supreme Court decision to strip the legislative branch of its powers. Amid an international outcry, President Nicolas Maduro reversed the decision, but it was too late. Thousands continued to take to the streets, calling for new elections. More than 100 people were killed in clashes with security forces.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Barreto
Hunger, a growing problem
The violence added to the ongoing economic and political crisis in Venezuela. Many Venezuelans spend more than 30 hours a week waiting in lines to shop, and are often confronted with empty shelves when they finally enter a store. President Maduro blames the crisis on US price speculation. The opposition, however, accuses the Socialist government of economic mismanagement.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/C. Becerra
Health care in crisis
The crisis has even affected health care in the oil-rich nation. Venezuelans often head to Colombia to collect medical supplies to send home, as seen in this picture. Hospitals across Venezuela have compared conditions to those seen only in war zones. As patient deaths rise, health officials have sounded the alarm on the rise of malaria and dengue fever.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M.Duenas Castaneda
Power grab
By July 2017, Venezuela's pro-government Constituent Assembly was established. For observers, it had all the hallmarks of a power grab. The new body adopted the authority to pass legislation on a range of issues, effectively taking away the powers of Venezuela's elected congress, which was under the opposition's control. The move drew wide international condemnation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Miraflores
The West sanctions
In response to the political crisis, the United States and European Union imposed a series of sanctions against ruling officials. The US blacklisted members of the Constituent Assembly and froze all of Maduro's assets that are subject to US jurisdiction. The EU banned arms sales to the country.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AFP/T. Schwarz
Government victorious in regional elections
In October 2017, Venezuela held two votes: regional elections and elections for governors, which were long overdue. The opposition boycotted the vote, but then split, as some candidates and small parties chose to participate. This caused a deep rift within Maduro's opponents. The government went on to sweep the vote, which detractors say was unfair and heavily favored the regime.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
Debt default
In November 2017, the oil-rich, cash-poor nation faced its day of reckoning. Credit ratings agencies declared Venezuela and its state-run oil company in "selective default." But Russia offered to restructure the South American country's debt to ensure Caracas pays its other creditors. US and EU sanctions, however, limited the chance of an agreement.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
Presidential elections scheduled
The National Assembly announced in January 2018 that it would grant Maduro's call for snap presidential elections. The electoral authority, CNE, held the elections on May 20. The EU, the US and 14 Latin American nations warned that they would not recognize the results. The mainstream MUD opposition alliance boycotted the vote, leaving only one possible outcome.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Parra
Maduro wins ...
Maduro was re-elected to a second six-year term with about 68 percent of the vote. Turnout was only 46 percent, according to electoral authorities. However, the MUD opposition alliance put turnout at less than 30 percent. The Organization of American States (OAS) called the elections neither free nor fair.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
... Guaido assumes power
But weeks into the new year, the situation took a drastic turn. On January 23, 2019, parliament president Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela — a move that was quickly recognized by US President Donald Trump. Maduro called it a US-backed "coup." Days later, the US sanctioned Venezuela's state oil firm, while Guaido staked his claim on the country's foreign assets.
