Back to Venezuela index

 

Ousted Chavez detained by army

Venezuelan military may charge former president over bloodbath at demonstration

 

Alex Bellos, South America correspondent
The Guardian, Saturday April 13, 2002

The ousted Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, was being held in an army barracks in Caracas last night after an opposition rally ended in a bloodbath and military chiefs forced him to resign.

He caved in to the pressure early yesterday only hours after pro-Chavez snipers had killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100 at a big demonstration in the capital.

The leftwing firebrand, a former paratrooper and leader of two failed coups a decade ago, requested exile in Cuba, but was turned down. "He has to be held accountable to his country," said General Roman Fuemayor.

The military appointed 60-year-old Pedro Carmona, head of Venezuela's largest business association, to lead a transitional government. He declared an immediate end to the general strike that has been crippling the economy.

Mr Chavez was elected in 1998 on a wave of popular sup port and quickly established a reputation as Latin America's most charismatic leader. But his popularity plummeted as he antagonised almost every sector of society and failed to improve the lot of the poor.

Even though pressure had been building for him to resign for several months, Venezuelans were shocked at the speed of events since an indefinite general strike was called on Tuesday by unions and the employers' confederation in solidarity with the state-run oil monopoly.

Its staff claimed that new directors chosen by Chavez were unqualified and their appointment was an attempt to increasing his control over the company.

Venezuela is the world's fourth largest exporter of oil, which represents 80% of its foreign earnings.

Mr Chavez's controversial 40-month presidency entered its endgame when a 150,000-strong opposition demonstration near the presidential palace turned violent on Thursday. National guards fired tear gas at the front ranks of marchers bearing sticks and throwing rocks. Witnesses saw rooftop snipers and Chavez supporters fire at the protesters and at ambulance crews trying to aid the wounded.

As the events got out of control, Mr Chavez ordered five Caracas television stations off the air, accusing them of inciting violence.

The killings, however, provoked the military high command into confronting him en masse at the palace with a demand that he go. He finally did so after overnight talks with a group of generals.

"Being a friend of his for years, I advised him to resign and allow Venezuelans to avoid a bigger bloodbath," Gen Francisco Uson, who is also the finance minister, said.

"The president was asked to resign and he accepted," said the armed forces chief, Gen Lucar Rincon. "I want to call on the people to stay calm and to the army to set an example of civility, rejecting any incitement to violence."

Yesterday's coup was surprising because Venezuela, unlike most South American countries, has had an unbroken period of elected governments since 1958.

At 3am local time, Mr Chavez, wearing military fatigues and a red beret - as he did when he led a failed coup against the president in 1992 - left the palace for an army base in the capital.

He will be held while investigators decide on possible charges for the violence, said Gen Efrain Vasquez Velasco.

Thousands of people celebrated overnight, waving flags, blowing whistles and jamming a main highway in Caracas.

Mr Chavez polarised the country by his attacks on the media and Roman Catholic church leaders, his refusal to consult with business chiefs and his failed attempt to assert control on the unions.

Last night US officials, who were concerned at his anti-American rhetoric, insisted that the Bush administration had no advance knowledge of the coup.

The EU urged the new rulers to call quick elections. "We appeal to the armed forces and the other society forces ... to show respect for human rights and the rule of law," Gunnar Wiegand, the EU's foreign policy spokesman, said.