Venezuelan officials and opposition foes have held separate secret meetings in the Dominican Republic with a group of ex-world leaders seeking a way out of political crisis, officials said Saturday, as an ex-military reserve leader was shot dead.

Representatives of both sides of Venezuela's political standoff met former Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, former Dominican president Leonel Fernandez and Panama's ex-president Martin Torrijos "in recent days" under the auspices of the Union of South American Nations, UNASUR, to seek a "framework for a national dialogue," the organization said in a statement.

The political opposition pushing for the removal of Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro has vowed fresh protests this week in the volatile South American state.

Here is a guide to who his leading opponents are, what they want and how they are trying to get it.

Venezuela was to launch two days of war games on Friday, flexing its military muscle as President Nicolas Maduro battles an opposition push to have him voted out and instability from an imploding economy.

Half a million soldiers and militia members were taking part in the exercise meant to show the armed forces are prepared to put down any internal strife or foreign aggression.

Venezuela's opposition on Thursday kept pressure on beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro after protests demanding his ouster amid a mounting political and economic crisis.

Public outrage over sweeping new emergency powers decreed this week by President Nicolas Maduro was expected to spill onto the streets of Venezuela Wednesday, with planned nationwide protests marking a new low point in his unpopular rule.

The demonstrations mark the strongest challenge yet to Maduro's controversial declaration of a state of emergency.

Venezuela's opposition leader urged his country on Tuesday to defy a state of emergency decreed by the government as it grapples with an acute political and economic crisis.

Henrique Capriles spoke as the opposition-controlled congress prepared to debate the sweeping measures ordered by President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuelans were set to learn on Monday the scope of a state of emergency that President Nicolas Maduro declared at the start of the weekend, as the country's political crisis enters a critical stage.

The expected government decree explaining the emergency order will come as the military prepares for exercises to counter an unspecified "armed intervention," while opponents plan a march demanding a vote to recall Maduro.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a sweeping crackdown Saturday under a new emergency decree, ordering the seizure of paralyzed factories, the arrest of their owners and military exercises to counter alleged foreign threats.

The embattled leftist is struggling to contain a raging economic crisis that has led to food shortages, soaring prices, riots, looting and vigilante justice, pushing Venezuela to the brink of collapse.

Venezuela on Wednesday started verifying nearly two million signatures of voters petitioning for a referendum on getting rid of President Nicolas Maduro, as he launched fresh maneuvers against his opponents.

With the oil-rich, cash-poor country in economic crisis, Maduro said he would allow a referendum if the petition is validated. But his side looked likely to put roadblocks in the way.

With their country gripped by an economic crisis, Venezuelans will lose half an hour of sleep Sunday when their clocks are moved forward to save power on President Nicolas Maduro's order.

At 2:30 am local time, the oil-dependent South American nation will shift its time ahead by 30 minutes -- to four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.