A showdown is set for Venezuela today, with both businesses and unions calling for a general strike against President Hugo Chavez. It could prove the biggest test to date for his administration.
In turn, Mr Chavez will muster his supporters in the streets in defiance of the twin strikes, promising a military overflight of Caracas. This is the first time a Venezuelan president has squared off against both unions and business since Marcos Perez Jimenez was deposed in 1958.
Mr Chavez gained notoriety when he led an unsuccessful coup in 1992 against President Carlos Andres Perez. Now it is Mr Chavez who is denying rumours of a coup.
"There won't be any coup here," said Mr Chavez. "I know the army like the back of my hand." However, in what could become historic irony, Mr Perez has offered himself as a possible candidate to head an interim government should Mr Chavez be deposed.