CARACAS, venezuela — Venezuelans on both sides of the nation’s political divide took to the streets on Saturday after nearly two weeks of mass protests that have President Nicolas Maduro scrambling to reassert his leadership of this economically stricken country.
In Caracas, tens of thousands of opponents of Maduro filled several city blocks in their biggest rally to date against Maduro’s 10-month-old government. Across town, a mostly female crowd of government backers gathered in T-shirts and baseball caps, forming a sea of red — the color of Maduro’s Socialist party.
The dueling protests capped a violent week in which a government crackdown jailed hard-line opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and dozens of other activists. The violence also left at least nine people dead on both sides and injured at least 100 others.
Venezuelans woke up Saturday to smoldering barricades of trash and other debris in the streets of some major cities, but there were no reports of major violence. Protesters have called on Maduro to either resolve problems such as rising crime and galloping inflation or step aside.
“When are you going to resolve our problems, when we’re all in the cemetery?” two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles asked before a crowd of government opponents. “If you (Maduro) can’t, then it’s time to go.”
Elsewhere in the capital, government backers filled a wide avenue in a boisterous march to the presidential palace accompanied by sound trucks blaring music and slogans. The crowd made up mostly of women danced in the street to live music and carried photos of the late President Hugo Chavez, while vendors hawked calendars emblazoned with his image.
“There is crime everywhere, not just Venezuela … and Maduro isn’t to blame for any shortages of food. It’s the people who own the businesses,” said Gloria Cera, 54.
The banner stretching across the rally stage proclaimed the event a demonstration of “women against fascist violence,” echoing Maduro’s allegation that the protests are part of a right-wing effort to oust his socialist government.
The opposition gathering in the capital was timed to coincide with others around Venezuela.
Thousands of people marched peacefully in San Cristobal, a remote city on the western border that has experienced some of the most violent clashes.
“This is a rich country, and we can’t even buy a kilo of flour; a rich country, but we live in misery,” Marta Rivas, a 39-year-old mother of two, said as she joined the San Cristobal march.
Root of turmoil
The political turmoil in Venezuela was sparked Feb. 12 by huge opposition marches that resulted in the deaths of three people. Protesters criticize high crime, food shortages and inflation that has made life difficult for many in a country that once had one of South America’s highest living standards because of its oil reserves.
