Massive demonstrations, violence and a rising death toll marked 50 consecutive days of anti-government protests in Venezuela.
Hundreds marched on Saturday along Caracas’s Francisco Fajardo highway, one of city’s major routes, while some flanked a gigantic sign that read “Elections Now” over an overpass.
“Fifty days facing threats, tear gas and pellets. Fifty days in which we have transformed fear into courage and strength,” opposition leader Miguel Pizarro wrote on Twitter.
Anti-government protesters want new elections and have called for President Nicolas Maduro’s resignation.
The government has repeatedly blocked any attempts to oust Maduro from power by a referendum vote. It has also delayed local and state elections.
Since March 29, opposition leaders have faced off with Maduro and his supporters, accusing him of imposing a dictatorship.
Protests turned violent in Caracas later on Saturday when demonstrators and police clashed surrounded by a mix of tear gas and exploding Molotov cocktails.
Video footage shows dozens of protesters wearing helmets, bandanas and gas masks as they run through the streets. Military tanks rolled down the streets with gas canisters hurling up in the air.
As small explosions erupted, medics were seen carrying the injured to nearby ambulances.
It’s unclear how many people were injured but more than 950 have been injured in Venezuela since the protests began, the country’s attorney general’s office said Saturday.
Read more: CNN
