Chavez opposition urges new protests
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An anti-government protester in Caracas, Venezuela, on Thursday.
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CNN's Harris Whitbeck talks to a protester who became a symbol for violence in Venezuela after she was knocked down by police.
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CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- Opposition leaders Thursday called for a new demonstration this weekend against President Hugo Chavez's government to encourage a national electoral commission to approve a recall vote.
The leaders set the demonstration for Saturday, but said they would keep working with the National Electoral Council for a compromise that would allow a recall vote to take place.
In New York, Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations resigned to protest his government's policies.
In his resignation letter, Milos Alcalay said he could no longer represent a government in an environment "which denies human rights, reduces democracy and harms dialogue." (Full story)
Chavez, a former paratrooper who led a 1992 coup attempt, was elected president in 1998 backed by poor Venezuelans. His opponents accuse him of steering Venezuela toward communism and riding roughshod over the nation's democratic institutions.
He was ousted in a 2002 coup, but returned to power within days after support for a new government collapsed. Opposition leaders also mounted a lengthy general strike in 2003 in hopes of driving him from office.
His term is set to expire in 2006. Chavez agreed to a special election if the National Electoral Council ruled against him and recommended a recall vote, but said last month he would appeal such a ruling to the Supreme Justice Tribunal.
The opposition has collected 3.4 million signatures, more than the 2.2 million to mandate a recall vote. But the Electoral Council last week questioned the authenticity of pages that contain similar handwriting for several people and called for people who signed the petition to come forward and verify 1.4 million signatures.
A protest against that decision last week left two people dead and 21 wounded, including at least one police officer. Hundreds of others were treated for asphyxia after police and National Guard troops fired tear gas to break up the demonstration. The government blames the protesters for the violence.
"It is lamentable because the imprisoned, dead and wounded are Venezuelan," Vice President Vicente Rangel said. "But they are the only ones responsible for the violence on the streets."
But Elinor Montes, a lawyer beaten by National Guard troops during last week's demonstrations, said she will return to the streets of Caracas to protest against Chavez.
"Nothing nor anybody will stop me from marching again," she said.
The Organization of American States and the Carter Center, which helped set up the recall process, are trying to help broker a solution to the latest crisis. But the opposition says a majority of the commission are Chavez loyalists. Many of the protesters have said they don't trust any government institutions.
CNN's Harris Whitbeck contributed to this report.
