Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday he would defeat a "crazed minority" determined to destabilize the country in his first public comments since opposition leader Juan Guaido defied him by returning home on Monday.

"Nobody and nothing can disturb the peace of the Republic, we will defeat the minority, be absolutely sure," Maduro stressed in his comments.

Maduro, during a ceremony to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the death of his predecessor Hugo Chavez, called on supporters to attend "anti-imperialist" demonstrations on March 9, coinciding with an opposition march announced by Guaido.

(Cover: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (C) delivering a speech during a military ceremony to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the death of former president Hugo Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela, March 5, 2019. /VCG Photo)