Venezuela protests: Opposition presses for fresh marches

A top Venezuelan opposition figure called for more marches aimed at taking back the courts and the National Electoral Council that he said had been “hijacked” by President Nicolas Maduro. Freddy Guevara urged people to protest tomorrow — May 1 or May Day, a traditional workers’ holiday — with marches to the Supreme Court and the National Electoral Council’s offices. “We want to summon all Venezuelans, across the country’s 24 states, to hit the dictatorship with a one-two punch,” Guevara said, evoking simultaneous peaceful marches in the two locations. A month of demonstrations in April in Venezuela has left 28 people dead in clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters, according to prosecutors. More than 400 people have been injured, and nearly 1,300 arrested, according to the attorney general. More …