Maduro says he will defeat opposition

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday he would defeat a "crazed minority" determined to destabilize the country in his first public comments since opposition leader Juan Guaido defied him by .

"Nobody and nothing can disturb the peace of the Republic, we will defeat the minority, be absolutely sure," Maduro stressed in his comments.

Maduro, during a ceremony to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the death of his predecessor Hugo Chavez, called on supporters to attend "anti-imperialist" demonstrations on March 9, coinciding with an opposition march announced by Guaido.

(Cover: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (C) delivering a speech during a military ceremony to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the death of former president Hugo Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela, March 5, 2019. /VCG Photo)

(REUTERS)