Duelling Venezuela leaders dig in defending presidency claims

The Venezuelan opposition leader who has declared himself interim president appeared in public on Friday for the first time in days and vowed to remain on the streets to usher in a transitional government, while President Nicolas Maduro dug in and accused his opponents of orchestrating a coup.

In one of the duelling news conferences, Juan Guaido urged thousands of supporters gathered in a Caracas plaza to hold a mass protest again next week as he moves forward with proposals of amnesty for military leaders and the arrival of humanitarian aid.

Meanwhile, Maduro spoke at the same time before a room of journalists and decried what he called a coup against his government.

Each man appeared ready to defend his claim to the presidency no matter the cost, with Guaido telling his followers that if he is arrested then they should “stay the course” and peacefully protest for change.

“As the famous phrase goes, ‘You can cut the flower but you cannot keep spring from coming,’” Guaido said.

The troubled South American nation has plunged into a new chapter of political turmoil this week after tens of thousands of Venezuelans frustrated with their nation’s crippling economic and humanitarian crisis took to the streets demanding Maduro step down in a rally of support for Guaido as he took a symbolic oath to become the interim president.