Venezuela has been gripped by its largest protests for more than a decade.<br /><br />The unrest, which began in early February with peaceful student demonstrations, has turned deadly. An estimated 30 protesters have been killed in violent police crackdowns.<br /><br />Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, who was handpicked by Hugo Chavez to succeed him, does not enjoy close to the same level of public support as his predecessor.<br /><br />Trumpeting his modest background as a bus driver and union activist, the self-proclaimed “worker president” vowed to drive forward Chavez’s vision of “21st century socialism”. <br /><br />But all that many demonstrators see is the government’s failure to make the country more successful, secure and safe. <br /><br />The protests began on university campuses in the west of the country, with calls for increased security after a female student alleged that she had been the victim of an attempted rape.<br /><br />Soaring crime rates are a key cause of public anger. Venezuela has the fifth highest murder rate in the world.<br /><br />The economy is also in dire straits. In January, the annualised inflation rate stood at a staggering 56 percent according to official figures.<br /><br />Supermarkets in several parts of Venezuela have been facing food shortages.<br /><br />One shopper in Caracas told reporters: “There is no coffee, no flour, no cooking oil, no butter, no cornflakes!”<br /><br />Given Venezuela’s numerous problems, there are a wide range of demands among the protesters. But the most hardline demonstrators say they will not stop until Maduro steps down.
