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Venezuela's Maduro proposes early elections amid presidential power struggle

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Parliamentary elections could crush challenge posed by assembly head Juan Guaido

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during a gathering with supporters in Caracas on Saturday. (Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido reiterated a call for the military to defect from the country's socialist government on Saturday, as President Nicolas Maduro appeared to intensify a deepening political standoff by proposing to hold early National Assembly elections that could potentially oust his challenger.

Speaking from behind a podium decorated with Venezuela's presidential seal, Guaido vowed to thousands of roaring supporters that he would keep his opposition movement in the streets until Maduro stopped "usurping" the country's presidency and agreed to organize new presidential elections overseen by international observers.

The 35-year-old president of Venezuela's National Assembly outlined the opposition's recent moves and called on "blocks" of the military to defect from Maduro's administration and "get on the side of the Venezuelan people."

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"We don't just want you to stop shooting at protesters," Guaido said in a hoarse voice. "We want you to be part of the reconstruction of Venezuela."

He also said that in the following days, the opposition movement would try to move humanitarian aid into the country by land and sea along three border points, including the Colombian city of Cucuta. He described the move as a "test" for Venezuela's armed forces, which will have to choose if they allow the much-needed aid to pass, or if they instead obey the orders of Maduro's government to block it.

Just minutes later, Maduro dug in his own heels by insisting he was the only president of Venezuela and proposing to hold new elections to replace Venezuela's opposition-dominated National Assembly.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido greets supporters as he arrives at a nationwide demonstration in Caracas on Saturday. (Fernando Llano/Associated Press)

"I agree that the legislative power of the country be re-legitimized and that we hold free elections with guarantees, and the people choose a new National Assembly," Maduro said at a pro-government demonstration in the capital of Caracas.

Maduro has described the latest protests against his rule as part of a U.S.-led coup attempt and called on his supporters to organize their own march in defence of his Bolivarian Revolution.

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The socialist leader also had words for the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which recently imposed sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports in an effort to undermine Maduro's main source of income and weaken his grip on the country.

"Do you think you are the emperor of the world?" he asked Trump. "Do you think Venezuela is going to give up and obey your orders? We will not surrender."

Military support for Maduro waning

The standoff comes amid what appears to be growing dissension among the ranks of the country's powerful military.

Earlier on Saturday a Venezuelan air force general defected from the Maduro administration and called on his compatriots to participate in protests against the socialist leader's rule.

Gen. Francisco Yanez is the first high ranking officer to leave Maduro's government since Jan. 23, when Guaido declared himself the country's legitimate leader by invoking two articles of the Venezuelan constitution that he argues give him the right to assume presidential powers.

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In a YouTube video, General Yanez described Maduro as a dictator and referred to Guaido as his president, but refused to say whether he is still in Venezuela or has left the country.

The officer confirmed from a Colombian number, the veracity of his declaration and said he would not provide further statements until given authorization by "the commander-in-chief of the legal armed force which is President Juan Guaido."

The military controls some of Venezuela's key assets including the state-run oil company, and until now, its top brass has helped Maduro to survive rounds of mass protests in 2014 and 2017 by jailing activists and repressing protesters.

Yanez said in his video that "90 per cent of the military" is against Maduro, but it is unclear how many will actively support the opposition.

Watch: Expats in Canada following Venezuela crisis from afar

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Shortly after protests broke out against Maduro last week, Venezuela's most important regional military commanders and its defence minister issued a statement in support of Maduro, describing Guaido as a coup monger backed by the United States.

On Saturday, Venezuela's aerospace command of the armed forces shared a picture of Yanez on its Twitter account with the words "traitor" above it.

"We reject the declarations made by General Yanez who betrayed his oath of loyalty to our nation and chose to follow foreign plans," the command wrote.

Supporters, protestors take to streets

On Saturday, Maduro said he was willing to sit down for talks with the opposition in an effort to promote national "harmony."

But that offer has been rejected by Guaido who describes it as a ploy by the Maduro administration to buy time.

Previous talks between the government and opposition have failed to change electoral conditions in the South American country, and many political leaders have been forced into exile.

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At Maduro's rally, supporters blamed the opposition for undermining the Bolivarian Revolution plans through years of protests and seeking financial sanctions against the Venezuelan government.

Anti-government protesters in Caracas take part in Saturday's nationwide demonstration demanding for Maduro's resignation. (Juan Carlos Hernandez/Associated Press)

Zeleyka Muskus, a 53-year-old tax collector from Caracas, said the opposition was responsible for the country's current economic woes, saying that they have staged years of protests that have gotten people injured and killed.

"Chavez is the love of my life," she said, referring to the late Venezuelan president. "We want this country's sovereignty to be respected."

Other public workers attending the pro-government demonstration said they had been forced to go there by their bosses.

Meanwhile, streams of marchers in another part of the capital walked from middle-class and poor neighbourhoods and said they were demanding Maduro's resignation and a transitional government that would hold new presidential elections in the South American country.

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Xiomara Espinoza, 59, said she felt a change of energy in the crowd, whose hopes for a transition in Venezuela have previously been dashed.

"We are around the corner from freedom," she said, banging on a pot and wearing a Venezuelan flag.