Venezuelan police have fired tear gas at opposition protesters in Caracas who were hoping to capitalize on several weeks of momentum and force a change in the government of President Nicolas Maduro, who has overseen economic collapse and the erosion of democracy.
Riot police were deployed on to the streets of Caracas to displace protesters. Officers were met with rocks and other objects thrown in their direction. Under the cover of helmets and shields, police fired tear gas canisters in the direction of the protesters, who then set fire to a police tower in the middle of the city.
A spate of protests in Caracas , sparked by a brief military uprising, have spread hope that a new leader of the congress, Juan Guaido, could unify the opposition and dislodge Maduro.
Guaido has said he would be willing to replace Maduro as interim president, with the support of the military, to call free elections.
“It is citizens versus dictatorship. Nobody in Venezuela wants a dictatorship and we demonstrated that today. The swearing-in of Juan Guaido as interim (president) is a step forward”.
