May 27, 2017 8:27 AM

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Clashes as Venezuela protesters target military base

Riot police in Venezuela fired tear gas and water cannon to stop anti-government protesters from marching on a key military installation during the latest violence in nearly two months of unrest. <br/><br/>The opposition is trying to sway the support of the armed forces, a key pillar of the government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro, who is resisting opposition calls for early elections. Retired military personnel joined demonstrators who tried to march to the Los Proceres complex, which houses the defense ministry and lies close to a major military base in Caracas. <br/><br/>Yesterday's protest was aimed at demanding that the armed forces lower their weapons and not be complicit in the dictatorship, said Freddy Guevara, an opposition leader who is vice president of parliament.<br/><br/>Masked protesters threw Molotov cocktails at riot police in scenes familiar after nearly two months of unrest. A 33-year-old man who was injured Thursday night during a protest in the western city of Cabudare died yesterday, bringing the death toll from eight weeks of unrest to 58. <br/><br/>Several people were also injured in the capital yesterday, including opposition lawmaker Carlos Paparoni.<br/>

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