WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Venezuela's Opposition leader Juan Guaidó announced that he is returning to the crisis-stricken country after a Latin American tour to gather support for his 'crusade' against the authoritarian Nicolas Maduro regime.
The self-proclaimed interim president has called for mass protests, which could escalate tensions.
It is not clear how Guaido will return to Venezuela, where the Supreme Court imposed a travel ban on him, but he gave a call to Venezuelans to gather across the country at 11am Monday.
'As I said yesterday, I announce my return to the country. I call on the Venezuelan people to concentrate, throughout the country, tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Attentive to official networks, we will be reporting points of concentration,' he tweeted on Sunday.
In capital Caracas, the protesters will gather at the Main Avenue of Las Mercedes.
He extended his call on government employees to join the massive protest.
'If the usurper and his accomplices dare to try to keep me, we have left a clear route, with clear instructions to follow by our international allies and parliamentary brothers. We are much stronger than ever and it is not time to faint,' the 35 year old leader of the centrist social-democratic Popular Will party said on Twitter.
Guaido, who is the President of Venezuela's National Assembly, claimed that he has the support of Venezuelans and the international community.
More than 50 countries, including the United States and several members of the European Union, have recognized the opposition leader as Venezuela's interim president.
President Nicolas Maduro has rejected Guido's demand to resign, and European calls for elections.
The Socialist leader insists he is the legitimate president.
Guaido said that during his tour of Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Ecuador, he listened to the Venezuelans there, and felt their desire to return home.
Guaido received support from an international coalition to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuelans, but the country's pro-Maduro military blocked their efforts.
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