Venezuela protesters marched through Caracas and cities across the country on Saturday, as the government's ban of Venezuela's top opposition leader from office breathed life into the disparate opposition and fueled the first sustained anti-government demonstrations since 2014.
Venezuela's government fired tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday at some of the thousands of opponents of President Nicolas Maduro who poured into the streets of Caracas during a protest movement that began about a week ago.
State comptroller Manuel Galindo imposed the ban due to alleged "administrative irregularities" by Capriles in his job as governor of the northern state of Miranda. "It would not disqualify Capriles", said 27-year-old lawyer Gikeissy Diaz, adding that half of her graduating class has left the country - as have many young people amid a crippling crisis - and that she is thinking of doing so, too.
Other government ministries are located there, and support for Maduro is strong among downtown residents.
In San Cristobal in the west, masked gunmen reportedly set off explosions, causing demonstrators to flee.
The protests were triggered by the Supreme Court's decision to gut the opposition-controlled legislature of its last vestiges of power, a move that was later reversed after widespread global condemnation and even dissent within Maduro's normally disciplined socialist leadership.
Mr Capriles said that he would appeal against the decision and stay in his job as governor, which he has held since 2008. In a response to the state's decision, Capriles called his supporters to participate in mass demonstrations.
"The country has chosen the path of dictatorship", he said. With both seemingly out of the running, the government may be trying to manipulate the electoral playing field to leave the opposition with less viable options should the government bow to pressure and call elections before they're scheduled in 2018, analysts said.
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It's the boldness to go and take them on and they're vulnerable in the wide areas. By winning Europa League or finishing top four. I honestly think you can stop Chelsea .
Venezuelans struggle to make ends meet under triple-digit inflation, ubiquitous supermarket lines and constant scrambles to find food and medicine.
The tweet immediately went viral and was held up by government critics as a sign of the lengths to which Mr Maduro is relying on security forces to squash dissent.
CGTN's Juan Carlos Lamas reports from Caracas. "Plus the economic situation is insufferable, no one can live here".
The district - home to many government offices - is a pro-Maduro bastion and the president's supporters were holding a "cultural, sporting and recreational rally" there.
"The opposition feels very strong", Kurmanaev said.
Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that Capriles' disqualification further chips away at Maduro's "facade of democracy", describing it as the latest step in a campaign to take prominent opposition leaders "out of the game".
In the Caracas protest there was a moment of silence in memory of a young man shot dead on Thursday by police during demonstrations. Rights group Penal Forum says nearly 100 people have also been arrested during protests in the last few days.
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