Venezuela's National Assembly voted on Tuesday to begin the process of stripping far-right opposition member Maria Corina Machado of immunity from prosecution.

Government supporters accuse her of offences that range from damaging buildings to inciting civil war as part of an opposition strategy to destabilise the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

The constitution gives assembly members immunity, but it also provides a process to strip them of it.

A successful vote was taken to provide evidence of alleged crimes to prosecutors, after which there would have to be approval from prosecutors and the Supreme Court.

Another vote by the National Assembly would then be needed before Ms Machado's immunity could be removed.

Her colleague Leopoldo Lopez - a member of the same far-right Popular Will party - has been in jail for a month already on charges of inciting violent protests that left 26 dead.

Ms Machado has been one of the most visible leaders of the demonstrations against the government.

"We will not permit impunity. We will ensure revenge for those deaths. We will ensure these deaths will be paid for," said legislator Tania Diaz of the president's United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

"Anyone who violates the right to life is violating the constitution."

The two Popular Will politicians were prominent in launching a new opposition strategy at the beginning of the year, known as La Salida (Exit), which aims to ratchet up conflict to force Mr Maduro's removal and end 15 years of socialist rule.

National Assembly proceedings in the run-up to a vote included the showing of a video chronicling Ms Machado's anti-government activism over the past decade and her US links.

Ms Machado has helped to transform sporadic student demonstrations in the western Andes region that began in January into a movement.

While largely confined to wealthy pockets in some cities, it has conducted violent confrontations between hooded youths and anti-riot troops.