Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant for a second opposition figure, ramping up the pressure on protesters who have staged nationwide rallies this month in the biggest threat to President Nicolas Maduro since he came to power.
Near-daily demonstrations have seen duelling pro- and anti-government protesters face off in sometimes violent confrontations that have left 14 people dead in the deeply polarised oil-rich country since the start of February.
Leopoldo Lopez, of the opposition Voluntad Popular (Popular Will), turned himself in last week after a warrant went out for his arrest and the party said Thursday that Maduro's under pressure government was now seeking Carlos Vecchio, the party's national political coordinator.
The party said the arrest warrant issued by Judge Ralenis Tovar Guillen ordered the general directorate of military intelligence to capture Vecchio "for the alleged crimes of arson, public incitement, damage and association," the same charges brought against Lopez.
Court officials have not confirmed the move against Vecchio.
Students and the opposition have hit the streets of the capital Caracas and other cities demanding better safety and protesting over shortages of basic goods and inflation, as well as against the government's crackdown on demonstrators.
They were at it again on Thursday in Caracas, though in fewer numbers, as revellers prepare for Carnaval celebrations.
Between 2,000 and 3,000 people gathered in the wealthy Caracas neighbourhood of Chacao, an opposition stronghold, under the theme "No more dead."
Clashes broke out when about 200 demonstrators tried to block a nearby highway and security forces dispersed them using tear gas.
Gerardo Blyde, mayor of the Baruta district where the incidents took place, said on Twitter that 20 people were being treated for cuts and for skin and eye irritations triggered by the tear gas.
The protesters also commemorated the 25-year anniversary of the Caracazo popular uprising against president Carlos Andres Perez that left hundreds of people dead.
