The death toll in Venezuela's anti-government protests hit 100 Friday, as the public prosecutor confirmed three more people had died. Demonstrators have been clashing with police and the national guard since April in protests against the government of Socialist President Nicolas Maduro amid the country's worst ever economic crisis. Observers say violence could escalate further, with thousands of soldiers set to guard voting stations at a contentious vote on July 30 to elect the members of a body which will be tasked with rewriting the country's constitution. A coalition of opposition parties attempted to stop the government's planned election of a 545-member constituent assembly by staging a 24-hour general strike on Thursday. The opposition has also called for voters to boycott the election. Maduro's government plans to rewrite the constitution to assure a majority for the socialists, who have ruled the country since 1999.
