Venezuela has seen near-daily protests for weeks by both government supporters and opponents, as President Nicolas Maduro moves ahead with his attempt to change the constitution.

"We are going to stay in the street, building a way out of the crisis," opposition lawmaker Freddy Guevara told the AFP news agency.

In the capital of Caracas, anti-government protesters attempted to clog 25 kilometers (16 miles) of a highway that leads to Vargas, but police fired tear gas into the crowd about two hours after the protest began. The crowd then dispersed.

There were clashes between protesters and police in other cities across the Latin American country on Saturday. Backers of President Maduro held their own rally in support of a proposed 500-member constituent assembly that would write a new constitution for the country.

Calls to resign

Opposing protests have flared up throughout Venezuela in recent weeks after the Supreme Court attempted to strip power from the opposition-controlled National Assembly in March. Maduro's opponents have called for early elections and for Maduro to step down.

At least 38 people have died since protests began in early April. The current protests are the largest in the country since 2014, when dozens of protesters died.

Venezuela is in the midst of a political and economic crisis, as residents wait hours for food and medicine. Inflation has jumped hundreds of percent, and crime has spiked. Maduro has blamed the current crisis on a US-backed conspiracy.

Maduro, who was selected by the late Hugo Chavez to lead Venezuela after his death, has refused to step down or hold early elections in spite of the protests. Maduro stood by his plans to overhaul the country's constitution on Saturday, addressing the protest in support of the government.

"I am just waiting for the day that the National Electoral Council sets the date for electing the national constituent assembly so people can come out and do justice with their votes," Maduro said during a speech on state TV.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Journalism born of need "I’d been working as a journalist for a year when the protests started in 2014. Many independent media have come into existence in the last two years due to the government censorship, and that's how I became a reporter," Ivan Reyes told DW. He started capturing the new wave of riots on a daily basis at the end of March.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Welcome to the stone age The ruling by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, which took away immunity from opposition parliamentarians, set off a surge of protests paralyzing the country. Although the protests were peaceful at first, government forces soon started throwing stones into the crowds. "Seriously, the police were given stones! This man, Lino Rivera, was hit by one on April 4," Reyes said.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Highway to hell The marches take place all over Caracas every day, but they usually end on the city highways. This photo shows two officers of the national guard shooting tear gas grenades into the lines of protesters. "The projectiles should be shot above people’s heads - so the international laws says," says Reyes. "But the armed forces shoot straight into the demonstrators."

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society "We are all Juan" Juan Pablo Pernalete, 20, died after being hit by a projectile on April 26. The death of the student of Universidad Metropolitana triggered angry protests in the following days. "People were chanting 'Todos somos Juan! Todos somos Juan!'" ("We are all Juan") Reyes told DW. Congressmen Miguel Pizarro and Carlos Paparoni and the Governor of Miranda Henrique Capriles all came to pay tribute.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Evasive action Defense has become the key element for survival. "The people seem to be organized better every day," says Reyes. Against the wishes of the protest leaders, several groups have started using DIY weapons and even Molotov cocktails against the government forces, as seen in this photo. "It’s a battle they can’t win," says Reyes.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Heros of the day "Jesús was one of those injured in the demonstrations on May 4. He was gasping and stuttering after he got hit in the head. People in the crowd spotted him and carried him to one side where paramedics gave him first aid. The members of Primeros Auxilios UCV are the real heroes of history," Reyes said of the group of doctors who go to the protests every day to help the injured.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society The wrath of the women scorned On May 6, a women’s protest against the regime was organized by Mesa de la Unidad Democrática, Venezuela's opposition party. The march wasn’t allowed to reach its destination, the Ministry of Justice, as they were halted by female officers of the national police. Former politician María Corina Machado and the student president of Universidad Central de Venezuela were among the protesters.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Ode to Venezuela This image shot by Reyes went viral right after it was published by the author on May 8. The picture is one of the strongest snapshots from the Venezuelan protests, showing a young man walking down a road playing the Venezuelan anthem. "I don’t see the protests ending soon," said Reyes. "Let’s see which side gets tired first." Author: Ivan Reyes (Venezuela)



kbd/cmk (AFP, dpa)