Dueling Venezuela leaders dig in defending presidency claims

CARACAS, Venezuela — The Venezuelan opposition leader who has declared himself interim president vowed Friday he would remain on the streets until the South American country has a transitional government, while President Nicolas Maduro dug in and accused his opponents of orchestrating a coup.

In dueling press conferences, Juan Guaidó urged followers to stage another mass protest next week while Maduro pushed his oft-repeated call for dialogue. Each man appeared ready to defend his claim to the presidency no matter the cost, with Guaidó telling supporters that if he is arrested they should “stay the course” and peacefully protest.