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Venezuela opposition leaders 'barred from leaving country' Venezuela opposition accuses government of 'coup'
(about 11 hours later)
Venezuelan opposition leaders say a court order has barred eight of them from leaving the country. Venezuelan opposition leaders have accused the government of staging a coup by blocking their drive to hold a referendum on removing President Nicolas Maduro from office.
One, Henrique Capriles, tweeted an image of the order, which came after the electoral council had suspended their campaign for a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro. Opposition figurehead Henrique Capriles called for nationwide protests next week.
Reasons for the ban were not given but earlier the council said fraud had been reported in the referendum process. Election officials had suspended a petition needed to organise the referendum.
The opposition had planned to secure the required signatures next week. The move halted the recall vote that polls said the government would lose.
An angry Mr Capriles said: "They are wasting their time once again." Henrique Capriles said the coup "had been carried out against all Venezuelans".
He said in the protests, called for Wednesday, "we will take Venezuela from end to end. The whole people will be mobilized to restore constitutional order."
What has gone wrong with Venezuela?
Earlier the opposition said a court order had barred eight of them from leaving the country.
Reasons for the ban were not given but the council had said fraud had been reported in the referendum process.
The opposition had planned to secure the required signatures for the recall vote next week.
Another of the banned leaders, opposition coalition leader Jesus Torrealba, said: "It's gratuitous aggression. We are the majority, in the street and in Congress.Another of the banned leaders, opposition coalition leader Jesus Torrealba, said: "It's gratuitous aggression. We are the majority, in the street and in Congress.
"They cannot postpone the change that the country is demanding.""They cannot postpone the change that the country is demanding."
The opposition said it would announce new measures to push for the early end of Mr Maduro's presidency soon. The opposition controls the country's Congress but says Mr Maduro has power over key institutions such as the electoral authorities and the courts.
A march is also planned in Caracas on Friday. The government has accused the opposition of inventing names on the first of two petitions required to endorse the recall vote.
The Popular Will party of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez said in a statement: "This dictatorship will not grant us anything, we have to achieve change in peace, democracy and - above all - in the street."
The opposition controls Congress but says Mr Maduro has power over key institutions such as the electoral authorities and the courts.
To trigger the recall referendum, the opposition would have needed to get petition signatures from 20% of the country's voters - or four million people - in each of the nation's 24 states next week.
But the electoral council said that courts in several states had reported fraud in a petition gathered by the campaign at an earlier stage.
It said in a statement: "In adherence to the constitution, the National Electoral Council abides by the decisions ordered by the tribunals and has sent instructions to postpone the process of signature gathering until new judicial instructions are known."
The government has accused the opposition of inventing names on its petitions.
Mr Maduro said there had been "a gigantic fraud", adding: "Their cheating is coming out."Mr Maduro said there had been "a gigantic fraud", adding: "Their cheating is coming out."
Diosdado Cabello, also of the ruling Socialist Party, said: "We hope justice will be served and that those responsible for this swindle will be detained." Diosdado Cabello, also of Mr Maduro's Socialist Party, said: "We hope justice will be served and that those responsible for this swindle will be detained."
The timing of the council's latest move is crucial because, according to the constitution, a vote to recall Mr Maduro this year would trigger a presidential election that polls indicate the opposition is likely to win. The decision to suspend the referendum process came despite intense international pressure on President Maduro from the US and other Latin American countries to allow it to go ahead.
But if the president is defeated in a vote next year, the vice-president would replace Mr Maduro and the Socialists would remain in power.
Venezuela is suffering a severe economic crisis which the opposition blames on President Maduro.
He says the economic crisis and efforts to get rid of him are a capitalist conspiracy.