Opposition calls for new 48-hour nationwide strike in Venezuela

Venezuela’s opposition has called for a fresh strike following clashes between government forces and protesters in the capital, Caracas.

The opposition’s call for a two-day national strike followed an earlier call for a 24-hour shutdown this week that was heeded by a section of the society in the South American country.

The new strike has been scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and mass marches are also planned for Monday and Friday.

On Saturday, protesters, who sought to march on the Supreme Court in support of alternative magistrates appointed by the opposition, clashed with security forces, who blocked them with armored cars and riot shields.

The clashes continued for several hours as hundreds of masked youths hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at National Guard troops firing tear gas to disperse them.

Wuilly Arteaga, a 23-year-old musician who has become famous for playing the national anthem on his violin in front of security lines as battles rage around him, was injured in the Saturday clashes.

The opposition has stepped up its acts of protest ahead of an election called by President Nicolas Maduro to set up a Constituent Assembly to rewrite the constitution. The opposition claims Maduro is turning Venezuela into a dictatorship and wrecking what should be a prosperous economy.

Maduro, 54, says the opposition aims to topple his leftist government through the protests, which he says are incited by the United States.

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