CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — The Venezuelan Opposition’s push for a referendum on removing embattled President Nicolas Maduro from power enters its endgame today when the authorities announce the dates for the final stage in the process.

The leftist president’s opponents, who blame him for an economic meltdown, must collect four million signatures in three days to trigger a referendum — the last step in a bureaucratic obstacle course they are racing to complete by the end of the year.

After months of political wrangling and street protests –—played out against a backdrop of food shortages, riots and looting — the National Electoral Council (CNE) is due to announce when that three-day period will start.

It has already said it is looking at late October. The Opposition says that is too late and accuses the authorities of stalling.

“This week is crucial for our country. There are two possibilities here: Either they obey the law, or our only option will be to go out and protest forcefully,” Opposition spokesman Jesus Torrealba said yesterday.

The centre-right coalition behind the referendum drive, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), is racing to force a vote by January 10 – the deadline to trigger new elections if Maduro loses the vote.

After that date, a “yes” vote would require Maduro only to transfer power to his hand-picked vice-president for the rest of his term – extending the socialist “revolution” launched by the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to at least 20 years.

The Opposition alleges the electoral authorities are in bed with Maduro – along with the Supreme Court, which has systematically blocked Opposition bills since it won control of the legislature in December.

Seeking leverage, the Opposition has organised a series of protests.

It estimates a million people took to the streets in the largest one, on September 1.

Opposition leaders have already called new protests for tomorrow to keep up the pressure.

If the Opposition gets the required four million signatures in favour of a recall vote — 20 per cent of the electorate — the CNE will have a month to verify them, then three months to organise the referendum.

A late October petition drive would probably mean a referendum in March 2017.

Political analysts warn the country risks exploding into unrest if it does not happen before then.

“Announcing a timeline that takes the referendum into 2017 will create a terrible situation in the street. People are very anxious and distressed,” said international relations specialist Milagros Betancourt.

Eighty per cent of Venezuelans want a change of Government, according to the polling firm Datanalisis.

The oil-rich country has skidded into crisis as global crude prices have plunged since mid-2014, pushing Chavez and Maduro’s socialist model to the brink.

Venezuelans spend long hours lining up outside supermarkets and pharmacies, only to find bare shelves and soaring prices inside.

The country is facing its third year of deep recession this year, with inflation set to top 700 per cent, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Maduro blames the crisis on an “economic war” by the Venezuelan elite backed by “American imperialism”.

To alleviate growing hunger, he has launched an emergency supply plan overseen by no fewer than 18 army generals – one each for rice, beans, toilet paper, and 15 other staples.

“We’re on the verge of breaking the economic war, and that is making the radicals despair,” Vice-President Aristobulo Isturiz said Sunday, promising the coming months would bring shorter lines and lower inflation.

But the Opposition says elections offer the sole path out of the crisis.

“The only way to address the crisis is to speed up the electoral solution,” Torrealba said. “That’s why the date (for collecting signatures) has to be as soon as possible.”