If you need one word to describe Venezuela these days, it would be fearful.” That’s what one Latin American diplomat told CNN this week, reflecting on the strange atmosphere in the country.

Venezuelan opposition parties and their supporters are set to hold protests around the country on Thursday in an eleventh-hour effort to put pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, one day before he is due to be sworn in for his third six-year term.

Opponents of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro will take to the streets Thursday, in a last-ditch bid to prevent him from being sworn in for a highly controversial third term as president. Ruling party loyalists have also taken to the streets in a blunt warning to their opponents.