Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó has declared himself interim president of the beleaguered South American country, in a dramatic escalation of efforts to force President Nicolás Maduro from power.

Before thousands of protesters in the capital Caracas, the 35-year-old lawmaker raised his right hand and said he was “formally assuming the responsibility of the national executive”.

Guaidó, the head of the opposition-run congress, has said he would be willing to assume the presidency on an interim basis with the support of the armed forces to call elections.

The move was immediately welcomed by Donald Trump who called on other countries in the western hemisphere governments to recognize Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela.

“In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country’s constitution to declare Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant. The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law,” Trump said in a statement.

“We continue to hold the illegitimate Maduro regime directly responsible for any threats it may pose to the safety of the Venezuelan people,” he said.

The move comes as tens of thousands joined marches across the country’s capital in what opponents of Nicolás Maduro hope will prove a turning point for the country’s slide into authoritarianism and economic ruin.

Venezuela’s president, who started his second term on 11 January after disputed elections, is facing a reinvigorated opposition as well as increasing international hostility from the rightwing governments of the US, Brazil and Colombia.

Wednesday’s march follow two nights of violent protests in working-class neighbourhoods of Caracas – once bastions of support for the government – and the apparent foiling of an armed uprising by members of the national guard.

Early on Wednesday, protesters in eastern Caracas braved an early morning downpour, shouting in unison: “Who are we? Venezuela! What do we want? Freedom!”

An opposition member holds a Venezuelan national flag during a protest march against Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on Wednesday.

In the centre of the capital, riot police flanked by water tanks and lightly armored vehicles had already been deployed to the central Plaza Venezuela square.

Other protests were planned across the country and outside embassies around the world.

Guaidó repeated calls for members of the security forces to withdraw their support for Maduro. “The world’s eyes are on our homeland today,” he said in an early-morning tweet.

Relatively unknown until this month, Guaidó appears to have reinvigorated Venezuela’s opposition which has long been racked by infighting. Ahead of Maduro’s inauguration, Guaidó described the leader as a “usurper” and declared himself ready to assume the presidency until open elections could be held.

Wednesday also marks the anniversary of the 1958 uprising that overthrew the military dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez – a symbolism that was not lost on María de Jesús, a social worker from Caracas who was born on the day of the 1958 rebellion.

“I was born in democracy,” she said on her way to the march in Caracas. “I want my freedom; this is a dictatorship.”

Across town, several hundred supporters held a rival march in support of Maduro. Though it was dwarfed in size by the opposition protest, those in attendance were in a buoyant mood.

“We are here to support our president and defend our resources,” said Ana Media, who works for the state oil company PDVA, as salsa music blasted from loudspeakers. “We know that other countries are against Maduro because they want to take over our resources.”

Oil-rich Venezuela is mired in economic and political turmoil, with hyperinflation rendering the bolivar currency practically worthless. Shortages in food staples and basic medicines are rampant, and crime is widespread. More than 3 million Venezuelans have fled, causing consternation across the continent.

Analysts have long held that Maduro’s survival depends on the backing of the military, who he has rewarded with senior positions in government and the state oil company PDVSA.

But it is unclear how solid that support is. Guaidó and the opposition-held national assembly have sought to peel away the military, offering an amnesty to members of the armed forces who help bring about a return to democracy. This week, authorities arrested 27 national guardsmen who tried to launch an uprising against Maduro.

In Ciudad Guayana, a north-eastern city, a statue of Hugo Chávez – Maduro’s late predecessor and the figurehead of Venezuelan socialism – was burned, cut in half and the bust hung from a bridge on Tuesday night.

Maduro has accused the opposition of fomenting violence. “I demand the full rigor of the law against the fascists,” he said on Tuesday night. His allies have also threatened the use of armed pro-government militias – known as colectivos – to quell disturbances.

The United States, long fiercely opposed to Maduro, has thrown its support behind the opposition. “President Trump and the US stand resolutely with the Venezuelan people as they seek to regain their liberty from dictator Nicolás Maduro,” Vice-President Mike Pence wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

A previous spate of protests in 2017 left at least 120 dead and hundreds more injured, after Maduro dispatched the national guard. Human rights watchdogs and international observers are readying for a similar crackdown on Wednesday.

Foro Penal, a local watchdog, reported on Wednesday morning that 30 protestors had been arrested overnight. Local journalists alleged that authorities in Caracas had attempted to confiscate their equipment. </s> Speaking at the International University Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami on February 18, President Trump told an audience of émigrés from Venezuela: “In Venezuela and across the Western Hemisphere, socialism is dying, and liberty, prosperity, and democracy are being reborn.”

Trump was introduced by his wife, Melania, who is herself an émigré from the former communist Yugoslav republic of Slovenia. The first lady told the crowd: “I’m proud to be here with you in the United States of America as your First Lady. Many of you in the room know what it feels like to be blessed with freedom after living under the oppression of socialism and communism. In Venezuela, the people are on the brink of reclaiming their own liberty.”

Trump’s speech came at a time when opponents of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro are attempting to remove the Marxist strongman from the presidency and replace him with Juan Guaidó, the president of the country’s National Assembly. On January 23, the president issued a statement of support for Guaidó that read, in part:

Today, I am officially recognizing the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, as the Interim President of Venezuela. In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country’s constitution to declare Nicolás Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant.

Though Guaidó himself is a socialist and may, in fact, try to use new socialist tactics to save the country, some analysts are counting on Guaidó being in office for only a short time — until elections are held — and then being replaced by someone who will work to undo socialist damages.

During a February 3 interview on Face the Nation, Trump did not rule out U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, stating that “it’s an option,” but fortunately, there has been no further indication that such interventionism is in the works. The United States has, instead, placed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA). Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and national security advisor John Bolton announced the sanctions on January 28, and said any purchases of Venezuelan oil by U.S. entities would flow into blocked accounts and would be released only to the legitimate leaders of Venezuela, presumably a new government led by Guaidó.

Today, more than 50 countries around the world now recognize the rightful government of Venezuela. And the Venezuelan people have spoken, and the world has heard their beautiful voice. They are turning the page on socialism, turning the page on dictatorship, and there will be no going back.

Trump also appealed to both the civilian and military leaders who are still supporting Maduro to end their support, saying:

So today, I ask every member of the Maduro regime: End this nightmare of poverty, hunger, and death for your people. Let your people go. Set your country free.

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Juan Guaidó holds an open cabildo, performed as a rally and national address, announcing his plans to take control of the Presidency of Venezuela, with the Organization of American States declaring their support for his assumption of office.