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Large crowds have gathered in the northern Venezuelan city of Valencia to greet opposition leader Juan Guaido, who plans to tour the country as part of his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Guaido on Saturday tweeted photos in which he is seen at a cathedral service and a market in the industrial hub.

Protests are also planned in the capital of Caracas and other parts of Venezuela as U.S.-backed Guaido seeks to ramp up pressure on Maduro, who says he is the target of a coup plot directed from Washington.

Venezuela recently recovered power in many areas after blackouts inflicted misery on millions of people who were already struggling to get by with few resources in a nation gripped by an economic and political crisis.