Venezuela’s opposition leader called for mass protests across the country Wednesday after the government last week blocked an attempt to hold a referendum vote to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power.

The rally Wednesday will mark the first such mass gathering since September 1, when hundreds of thousands of dissatisfied Venezuelans marched through Caracas in opposition to Maduro.

In response to the planned protests, Maduro called for a meeting of his National Defense Council Wednesday to coincide with the rallies.

Both sides have accused each other of attempting to launch a coup as the country grapples with massive food shortages and soaring inflation.

Polls show around 75 percent of Venezuelans want to see Maduro removed from power and blame him for the collapse in the country’s standard of living, though Maduro has called the economic collapse a capitalist conspiracy.

Speaking at a rally Tuesday to thousands of his supporters, Maduro said opposition lawmakers were acting like members of a “circus” with their attempts to remove him.

 “The National Assembly has been transformed into a bastion of evil and bitterness. It is useless to the interests of our country and our people,” he said.

Maduro’s comments came on the same day as the opposition-controlled legislature voted to open a political trial against Maduro for breaking the country’s constitutional order.

Lawmakers ordered Maduro to appear before congress next week to defend himself, though the vote is unlikely to have any serious legal effect since Maduro controls the Supreme Court, and it has already declared the National Assembly to be illegitimate.

Despite the growing tensions, Pope Francis met privately Maduro at the Vatican Monday and urged him to spark a meaningful dialogue with opposition leaders.

In a statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis asked Maduro to engage the opposition in a “sincere and constructive dialogue” that will benefit all of the people suffering in Venezuela. Francis urged Maduro to promote a social cohesion to help Venezuela recover from its recent economic crisis.

Speaking in Caracas, Papal envoy Emil Paul Tscherrig said the two sides hoped to begin talks on October 30 on the Venezuelan island of Margarita.

A spokesman for the opposition MUD coalition later denied that the two sides agreed to the terms of the Margarita meeting, though he was encouraged by the involvement of the Vatican in the talks.
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