Thousands of demonstrators rallied through the streets of the Venezuelan capital Caracas Saturday in support of President Nicolas Maduro. 

The demonstrators, or Chavistas (named after Hugo Chavez), gathered to the sound of drums and salsa and marched some 14 kilometers after the mobilizations that were extended to various regions of the country.

"The courageous youth are following their dreams and continuing to fight for their homeland," 26-year-old Maria Amatima told AFP. 

Estamos saliendo de la tormenta y ya se ve el horizonte claro y próspero de la Venezuela del siglo XXI. Creemos en un gran liderazgo que se fundamenta en el Poder Político, con valores éticos y morales. Levantémonos con energía, para que juntos consolidemos la Patria. pic.twitter.com/nnHhGc1aDa

— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) February 13, 2022

Maduro concluded the demonstration saying, "I ask you [the youth] to help me... against corruption and bureaucracy... I come to ask you for help." 

Venezuelan opposition fails to collect signatures to recall vote on Maduro

Venezuela's National Electoral Council rejected in January a petition calling for a referendum to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office.

The Election Council confirmed that the petition did not collect the necessary number of signatures to move forward with organizing the referendum, as the opposition managed to collect 42,421 signatures, while it was necessary to collect about 4.3 million signatures.

The opposition accused the election board of not having enough time to collect signatures and not providing a sufficient number of signature-collecting centers.

The Venezuelan president considered that the attempt to "reactivate the stupid referendum" has failed miserably," describing it as part of the attacks carried out by the opposition in Venezuela during the past few years.