Venezuela braces for dueling marches in strife-torn Caracas

Bloomberg

Venezuelans prepared for demonstrations to mark International Workers’ Day after clashes last month left dozens dead and pushed Pope Francis to renew his call for a negotiated solution to the crisis embroiling the South American country.
The opposition will rally from 26 points across Caracas on a hot, rainy day in a march being promoted on social media with the hashtag “the people rebel against the coup.”
Subway stations across Caracas were closed, as the government traditionally tries to prevent protesters from reaching the government center in the downtown area. President Nicolas Maduro will speak at a pro-government march there, and he has promised major announcements this afternoon.
Opposition leaders are seeking to maintain momentum that brought over a million supporters into the streets in marches last month to protest what they said was an illegal power grab by the Supreme Court to curtail the power of the National Assembly they control. Congress president Julio Borges warned on Sunday that Maduro would try to further usurp Congress’ authority. “It would be a continuation of the coup, Cuba style” he said at a press conference, adding that the opposition had expressed their concerns to other countries in the region. “Maduro is trying to put out a fire with gasoline.”
On Sunday, Pope Francis appealed at a Mass in Vatican City for an end to violence that he said is “exhausting the people.”
The governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay agreed with the pope’s call. Such a deal would end violence, uphold the rule of law, free political prisoners, restore the powers of the National Assembly and define an electoral schedule, according to a press release sent Sunday evening from Argentina’s Foreign Ministry.
The papal statement comes after a Vatican-sponsored dialogue last year failed and many opposition leaders criticized the process, saying it merely bought the government time and extended the crisis.