The possibility of new U.S. sanctions against Venezuela's all-important oil sector threatens to thwart the Maduro administration's quest for constitutional revision and exacerbate unrest throughout the nation.
A father and daughter rest before sunrise while someone holds their place in line to buy basic foodstuffs at a supermarket in San Cristobal, the capital of the Tachira state. A shortage of products like flour, milk and sugar has made life increasingly difficult for residents of Tachira and has spurred anti-government protests there.
Venezuelan opposition deputy Amelia Belisario, pictured second from the right, scuffles with National Guard forces in riot gear during a protest in front of the Supreme Court in Caracas on March 30. Earlier this year, Venezuela's Supreme Court took legislative powers from the opposition-led National Assembly, whose speaker accused leftist President Nicolas Maduro of staging a coup.
As clashes erupt during a protest against Maduro in Caracas on May 8, an opposition activist launches tear gas at the police. At the beginning of the month, Venezuela's opposition mobilized fresh street protests against the president's attempts to rewrite the constitution. Supporters of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) gathered in eastern Caracas and marched under the slogan "No to the dictatorship."
A protester wounded during clashes with riot police is assisted by medics in Caracas on May 3. Venezuela's angry opposition rallied, vowing massive street demonstrations against Maduro's plan to change the constitution and accusing him of dodging elections to try to hold onto power.
Opposition activists march along Francisco Fajardo Highway during an anti-government protest in Caracas on May 10. Since the unrest erupted on April 1, authorities say clashes between protesters and riot cops have left 102 people dead and hundreds more injured.
A Molotov cocktail thrown by anti-government activists explodes near members of the National Guard during clashes in Caracas on July 26. Venezuelans began blocking off deserted streets when the opposition called for a 48-hour general strike intended to block Maduro's controversial plans for the constitution.
An opposition activist wearing a homemade gas mask takes cover behind a makeshift shield in Caracas on May 8. Protests against Maduro's tactics have turned into a political crisis.
Opposition activists in Caracas launch a firework with a tube during May 31 clashes with riot police. Venezuelan authorities began to register candidates for the planned constitutional reform committee, stoking the deadly protests in the process. The president's opponents say he aims to keep himself in power by stacking the planned "constituent assembly" with his allies.
Demonstrators taking cover behind their shields are hit by the jet from a police water cannon during a protest in Caracas on June 7. Venezuelan military chief Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez cautioned his troops not to commit "atrocities" against protesters during the political crisis. The warning came after more than two months of violent clashes between protesters and security forces.
Relatives and friends of 15-year-old Jose Francisco Guerrero attend his funeral on May 19 in San Cristobal, Venezuela. Guerrero was shot when he went to buy food and became trapped in a confrontation between looters and the National Guard during anti-government protests. Venezuela is suffering chronic shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies. The opposition continues to blame the country's dire economic circumstances on the mismanagement and corruption of the Maduro administration.
