VENEZUELA’S right-wing opposition called for a military coup against socialist President Nicolas Maduro ahead of anti-government marches yesterday.

Justice First party leader Henrique Capriles, one of the top dogs in the Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) alliance that now dominates the parliament, told generals to “prepare the tanks and war planes.”

Speaking on Tuesday, he added: “The hour of truth is coming to decide whether you are with the constitution or with Maduro.

“This will be a decision that the Bolivarian armed forces will have to take.”

Mr Capriles also called on Venezuelans not to recognise the states of emergency and exception that Mr Maduro called on Friday in response to fears of a coup and what the government has described as economic sabotage by big business.

Mr Maduro accused Washington of invading Venezuelan airspace twice last week on Wednesday and Friday with an E-3 Awacs electronic intelligence plane.

“Washington conducts these tasks to support communications of armed groups in war zones or to prepare actions to disable electronic equipment of the government, the armed forces or the economy,” he said during a four-hour press conference.

He said he was the first to recognise that the people were experiencing “hard times” but said that it was part of the “struggle for liberty” against imperialism.

Turning to last week’s congressional impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Mr Maduro said it was not only a coup against the elected government but against all of Latin America and against the Brics alliance of the five leading developing nations. He called it a “project of reconquest” by imperialist states.

Regional countries including Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and Ecuador have either withdrawn their ambassadors to Brazil or refused to recognise the interim government of Vice-President Michel Temer.

Earlier this week the Communist Party of Venezuela called on the Comptroller General to investigate the source of funds “used by the opposition to foment destabilisation.”

Party secretary Perfecto Abreu pointed out that the US Congress had approved $200 million (£137m) for “the fight against the revolutionary process in Venezuela.

He said Mud MPs were “the principal ally that imperialism and the reactionary forces of Latin America have in Venezuela.”