
The Venezuelan opposition and government loyalists held rival demonstrations in Caracas on Saturday, as both sides prepared for what some fear could be a protracted power struggle.

The rallies unfolded as power and communications outages continued to hit Venezuela, intensifying the hardship of a country paralyzed by economic and political crisis.

The blackouts heightened tension between the bitterly divided factions, which accused each other of being responsible for the collapse of the power grid.

'Hard times are ahead,' said opposition leader Juan Guaido, who addressed crowds with a loudspeaker after security forces earlier dismantled a speakers' stage that the opposition had erected.

He said he planned to tour Venezuela to seek support and lay the groundwork for a massive rally in Caracas.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks to supporters during a government rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday

The leader of Venezuela's National Assembly Juan Guaido who declared himself the country's interim president, greets supporter upon his arrival to a rally against the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas also on Saturday

Demonstrators danced and waved flags on what organizers labeled a 'day of anti-imperialism' in a show of defiance toward the United States, which has imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela in an attempt to oust the president

A supporter of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro sings a song about the late President Hugo Chavez as she holds an image of him during a government rally in Caracas

Men work inside a restaurant during the second day of a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela

People eat by candlelight at a pizzeria during a second day of blackout in Caracas

A man cooks with candlelight and lanterns at a pizzeria during a second day of blackouts

The 35-year-old leader of the National Assembly said he anticipated more government efforts to sideline and intimidate the opposition. However, President Nicolas Maduro's government has not moved directly against Guaido since he returned to Venezuela from a Latin American tour Monday.

Guaido earlier speculated that Maduro was effectively ignoring him in an attempt to sap the energy of the opposition, whose hopes of ousting the government have so far been stymied.

But on Saturday, Maduro stepped up verbal attacks on Guaido, calling him 'a clown and puppet' in a speech to supporters outside Miraflores, the presidential palace. He scoffed at Guaido's claim in late January to be interim president of Venezuela, a declaration supported by the United States and about 50 other countries.

'Not a president, not anything,' said Maduro, who accused Guaido and his U.S. allies of sabotaging Venezuela's Guri Dam, one of the world's largest hydroelectric stations and the cornerstone of Venezuela's electrical grid.

A woman uses a candle inside her house. Blackouts have become a daily occurrence across Venezuela as the economic crisis has worsened, but one of this magnitude is rare

Authorities quickly blamed the blackout on anti-government saboteurs

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro acknowledges supporters during a government rally in Caracas

On Saturday, Maduro stepped up verbal attacks on Guaido, calling him 'a clown and puppet' in a speech to supporters outside Miraflores, the presidential palace

A cordon of Venezuelan National Police officers retreat when confronted by demonstrators who were temporarily blocked by police from getting to a rally against the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas

The leader of Venezuela's National Assembly Juan Guaido, who declared himself the country's interim president, speaks to supporters during a rally against the government of President Nicolas Maduro

A man looks out the window in an office without power, in Caracas. A new power outage affects Caracas on Saturday and several Venezuelan states in which electricity was already restored, after last Thursday's massive blackout

A woman opens a beer at a bar during a power outage in Caraca. Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro claimed that a new cyber attack had prevented authorities from restoring power throughout the country following a blackout on March 7

An employee walks inside a store during a power outage. The government blamed the outage on US sabotage at the central generator in Guri, in the country's south, which provides 80 percent of Venezuela with its electricity

People use their mobile phones at the Francisco Fajardo highway -where they can get telephone service- during a partial power outage

He said authorities had restored 70 percent of power in Venezuela since what he called an 'international cyberattack' late Thursday, but progress was lost on Saturday when 'infiltrators' allegedly struck again.

The Venezuelan opposition and U.S. officials say Maduro's attempts to pin blame on his political adversaries is absurd, and that government corruption and mismanagement over many years caused the blackout and wider deterioration of the economy.

In another blow to Venezuela's infrastructure, an explosion occurred at a power station in the country's Bolivar state on Saturday, according to local media. Video posted on social media showed fire and smoke billowing from the site. Venezuelan authorities have not commented.

Netblocks, a non-government group based in Europe that monitors internet censorship, said Saturday that the second outage had knocked out almost all of Venezuela's telecommunications infrastructure.

Earlier, it referred to online connectivity data indicating that the initial outage that began Thursday and eased about 24 hours later was the largest on recent record in Latin America.

People use their mobile phones at the Francisco Fajardo highway -where they can get telephone service

View of Caracas during a partial power outage on Saturday. Critics of Venezuela's government blame corruption and underinvestment, with opposition leader Juan Guaido describing the blackout as further proof that time is up for Maduro

A woman uses a mobile phone on a rooftop during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela

A general view of the city during a blackout in Caracas. The blackout has also contributed to a general feeling of anxiety among the opposition

Supporters of Venezuela's National Assembly leader Juan Guaido are pictured. He called on citizens nationwide to travel to the capital Caracas for a protest against socialist President Nicolas Maduro

Demonstrators confront a cordon of Venezuelan National Police officer who temporarily block members of the opposition from reaching a rally against the government of President Nicolas Maduro

Demonstrators attempted to walk along an avenue in Caracas but were moved onto the sidewalk by police in riot gear

The leader of Venezuela's National Assembly Juan Guaido, who declared himself the country's interim president, uses a megaphone to speak to supporters during the rally

People use their mobile phones at the Distribuidor Altamira -main exit of Francisco Fajardo highway- where they can get telephone service

The massive power outage has swept across Venezuela, leaving its two leaders at odds over who is to blame for plunging the country into darkness at a time of deep political unrest

The outage began Thursday evening at rush hour, bringing the subway system in Caracas to a halt. Thousands of commuters returned home on foot, their walks lit only by mobile phones and the stars

A view of a building during a second day of blackout in Caracas, Venezuela on Saturday evening

A general view of the city during a second day of blackout in Caracas. Guaidó said that 22 states were without electricity for hours, breaking a record for Caracas

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro claimed that a new cyber attack had prevented authorities from restoring power throughout the country following a blackout on March 7 that caused chaos

A child is seen inside a closed shop during the second day of a blackout in Caracas

The lights of cars along a Caracas road are the only thing that sheds light in the city during the interminable blackouts

A popcorn stand is seen during the second day of a blackout in Caracas

People stop on a side of a highway trying to catch cellular service on their mobile phones

Supporters of Juan Guaido, Venezuela's National Assembly leader who has declared himself the country's interim president, listen to the opposition leader during the rally

Managers of the Caracas subway said they were waiting for the electricity supply to stabilize before resuming service, and the power grid problems quickly became only another issue that galvanized Venezuelans to take to the streets.

Opposition protesters who converged on Avenida Victoria in Caracas vented anger over the country's problems, including hyperinflation and shortages of basic necessities.

They pushed against the shields of riot police who avoided a clash by withdrawing from the area.

Some protesters elsewhere in the city said police tried to block them from reaching the rally, creating a sense of confusion as power and communications outages plagued the country.

'This is chaos,' said Jorge Jaimes, a physician frustrated with the decline of a country that was once the wealthiest in Latin America.

At the pro-government rally, people danced and waved flags on what organizers labeled a 'day of anti-imperialism' in a show of defiance toward the United States, which has imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela in an attempt to oust Maduro.

Many showed up wearing red caps and shirts in support of the self-proclaimed 'socialist revolution' of leader Hugo Chavez, who died six years ago and was succeeded by his protege, Maduro.

A demonstrator rants at a Venezuelan National Police officer. Several hundred people gathered at the rally in central Caracas for a march to denounce the crippling U.S. oil sanctions aimed at cutting off the Maduro government's funding sources

A demonstrator in a wheelchair rants at members of the Venezuelan National Police officers

Dozens of demonstrators attempted to walk along an avenue in Caracas but were moved onto the sidewalk by police in riot gear, leading them to shout at the officers and push on their riot shields. One woman was pepper sprayed