Venezuelans remain divided over coup and Chavez presidency.(Chicago Tribune)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Almost three months after Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez was ousted and then returned to power in a popular uprising, attempts to reconcile the divided nation have largely failed.

Street demonstrations and calls for the leftist president to resign have come on the heels of a national dialogue meant to heal the country. That dialogue led to bitter debates about who was responsible for the deaths of more than 60 Venezuelans at an April protest that sparked Chavez's ouster and in the confusing days that followed.

"I believe the country is in trouble," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas division for New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Like others, Vivanco suggests there may be future challenges to Chavez's authority.

"The opposition is as recalcitrant as Chavez," he said. "They are not interested in a political solution. They see (that) any political solution could represent oxygen for Chavez."

Paranoia and loathing between Chavez's supporters and his critics have residents fearing more violence and scrambling to supermarkets in recent weeks to stock up on food.

Schools are informing parents that they are running safety drills to ensure that children are protected if riots and protests resume. Citing fears of renewed instability, Venezuela's foreign minister recently postponed July's summit of leaders of 15 developing nations.