ABC News
Thousands of opponents of Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro took to the streets on Saturday to express outrage over
the country’s deepening economic crisis, seeking to rebuild momentum
sapped after a string of electoral defeats.
The nationwide day of protests was the first
called by opposition leader Henrique Capriles since he lost by a thin
margin to Maduro in April’s snap election following the death of Hugo
Chavez and came just two weeks before key mayoral elections.
Reflecting a certain fatigue that besets both
sides in this deeply polarized nation, only about 5,000 people gathered
at Plaza Venezuela in Caracas to march with Capriles — a far cry from
the masses that flooded Caracas’s avenues during his final rally during
the presidential campaign. Still, turnout was greater than recent
government-organized acts.
Government intimidation, internal power
struggles and virtually no access to televised media have disheartened
many in the opposition, leaving it in a weaker position to challenge
Maduro even as the president’s approval ratings have declined.
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