Anti-government protesters will take to the streets again on Monday in Caracas to reject an invitation to take part in a process by President Nicolas Maduro to rewrite the Constitution. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
May 8 (UPI) -- The Venezuelan opposition on Monday planned to march in Caracas against President Nicolas Maduro's call to rewrite the Constitution days after women held protests.
The protest by women wearing white on Saturday denounced the violence against demonstrators carried out by Venezuelan security forces accused of repressing dissent to support Maduro's regime. On Sunday, hundreds of musicians and artists also took to the streets of Caracas to reject the violence -- many playing instruments and singing as they marched.
On Monday, anti-government protesters in Caracas expected to descend onto the headquarters of the Ministry of Education from numerous starting points. Opposition leaders said the protest is meant to show its rejection of the ministry's invitation to the Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition coalition to take part in the process to rewrite the Constitution.
The opposition argues Maduro's move is another attempt to undermine Venezuela's democracy.
The opposition has likened Maduro's call for a chance to the Constitution to a coup d'etat in which he seeks to stay in power against the wishes of the majority of Venezuelans. The opposition also said Maduro's call for a new Constitution is an attempt to sidestep elections scheduled for 2018.
"No more! Venezuelans can not accept that they intend to make a Constitution for the interests of the corrupt narco-dictator and not the country!" Henrique Capriles Radonski, governor of Venezuela's Miranda state and a key opposition leader, said in a statement on Monday.
The most recent protests in Venezuela began on March 30 after Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice said it would assume the National Assembly's duties -- a ruling it later reversed. At least 36 people have died and hundreds have been injured since protests began.
"Come on, Venezuela; today we make clear to the dictator that we are not going to change the Constitution. We will remove him!" MarĂa Corina Machado, a key opposition leader and a former lawmaker, said in a statement on Monday.
