Valkyrie
12th April 2002, 19:15
Venezuela President Resigns in Tumult
By JORGE RUEDA
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez, the former army paratrooper who polarized Venezuela with his strongarm rule and whose friendship with Cuba and Iraq irritated the United States, resigned under military pressure Friday after a massive opposition demonstration ended in a bloodbath.
Chavez, 47, presented his resignation to the military after top commanders confronted him at the presidential palace. Before dawn he left the palace - wearing a military fatigues and red beret, as he did when he led a failed 1992 coup - and was put in detention at Caracas' Fort Tiuna army base to face possible charges.
Pedro Carmona, head of Venezuela's largest business association, announced he would head a transitional government to be installed later Friday. Carmona quickly ended a strike that had slowed down oil production by Venezuela - the third biggest supplier to the United States - and promised to throw out Chavez-era economic laws opposed by the private sector.
Chavez quit just hours after at least 14 people were killed and 250 wounded during a 150,000-strong opposition demonstration in downtown Caracas. Chavez had ordered National Guard troops and civilian gunmen to stop the marchers from reaching the palace, military officers said.
But opposition to Chavez's three-year presidency had been growing for some time. His one-time 80 percent popularity ratings plunge to below 30 percent this year as he repeatedly accused business leaders, labor, the news media and even Roman Catholic Church leaders of conspiring to overthrow him.
The armed forces - which has traditionally strong ties to the U.S. military - resented Chavez's distancing of Venezuela from Washington. Many also disliked Chavez's ties with leftist Colombian guerrillas and with Fidel Castro's Cuba: Many senior officers had fought Cuban-backed communist guerrillas in the 1960s and early 1970s.
President Bush called Friday for a quick return to peace in Venezuela. Bush ``is saddened by the loss of life, and the president hopes now that the situation will be one of tranquility and democracy,'' White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Police warned Friday that ``Chavistas'' - supporters of the president - were distributing weapons, especially in the hillside slums surrounding the capital. Officers raided storehouses, seizing dozens of firearms.
Security forces searched for members of Chavez's Cabinet and arrested ex-Interior Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin. Civilians tried to attack Chacin as he was led from a building by police officers.
With Chavez's ouster, jubilant executives at Venezuela's state oil monopoly, who had been engaged in a work slowdown, promised to bring production up to speed as quickly as possible. Venezuela is the world's fourth biggest exporter.
Oil prices dipped on news of Chavez' downfall amid expectations of a production increase. Oil markets have been concerned over supply after Iraq's decision this week to suspend exports to Israeli allies.
Chavez was being held at the army base while investigators decide what charges he could face for Thursday's violence, said army commander Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco. Chavez asked to be allowed to go into exile in Cuba, but the miltiary turned him down, army Gen. Roman Fuemayor told Globovision television. ``He has to be held accountable to his country,'' Fuemayor said.
In downtown Caracas, streets were littered with debris - and in some places, stained with blood. After a night when thousands went out and celebrated, shops and businesses remained closed, and most people simply stayed home, stunned and wondering what would come next. Buses were half-empty, and those reporting to work hurried amid rubble-strewn sidewalks.
Carmona, who backed the strikes that helped bring down Chavez, said one of his first acts as interim president would be to reinstate several military officers sacked in recent months for criticizing Chavez.
``Everyone will feel that there exists plenty of freedom, pluralism and respect for the state of law, for values, and ethical and moral principles,'' Carmona said.
Carlos Ortega, head of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation, which also called the strikes, said the interim government must ``immediately resolve the problems facing workers,'' including unpaid salary increases and some $21 billion in back wages and pensions.
Cuba, whose leader Castro is a personal friend of Chavez, denounced the Venezuelan's overthrow, with the Communist Party daily Granma saying it was the result of a ``conspiracy'' by the country's wealthy classes, corrupt politicians and news media.
The rapid developments stunned this oil-rich, yet poverty-stricken nation.
The demonstration in Caracas late Thursday was the culmination of a strike called by the 1 million-member Venezuelan Workers Confederation and the business association Fedecamaras. The strike was in support of the protesting executives at the state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela.
National Guard troops fired tear gas at the front ranks of marchers bearing sticks and throwing rocks. Tear gas drifted into the presidential compound. Rooftop snipers and Chavez supporters repeatedly fired upon the protesters and even ambulance crews trying to evacuate the wounded.
The wave of protests marked the end for a president who had come into power with great support, particularly by the poor, promising a ``revolution'' against corruption and poverty.
Chavez had irritated Washington with his close ties to Castro, visits to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and to Libya, and criticism of U.S. bombings in Afghanistan.
And he had alienated virtually every sector of Venezuelan society, with his attacks on the news media and Roman Catholic Church leaders, his refusal to consult with business leaders, and his failed attempt to assert control over labor groups.
Domestic opponents claimed his government was secretly arming neighborhood block committees known as ``Bolivarian Circles,'' named after South American liberator Simon Bolivar, to defend his revolution. The Circles were created after Castro urged Chavez's supporters to organize during a 2000 visit.
For Chavez, who on Tuesday boasted he would remain president until 2021, the end came quickly.
Just last Friday, he refused to negotiate with the striking oil executives, who were demanding that he remove a company board he had appointed Feb. 25. The executives claimed Chavez was trying to strengthen his hold on a multinational corporation that cherishes its autonomy.
The executives' slowdown cut production at the Paraguana refinery complex, one of the world's largest, to below 50 percent capacity. They closed another refinery and all but stopped loading of oil tankers. Oil generates 80 percent of Venezuela's foreign earnings.
The Air Force chief, Gen. Regulo Anselmi, said the military urged Chavez on Wednesday to negotiate. He agreed, but by then the oil executives had rejected such overtures.
After Thursday's violence, the high command decided Chavez had to go, and they confronted him en masse in his offices, Anselmi said. Troops seized the government television station as tanks rumbled on the streets.
Chavez finally handed his resignation to Anselmi and two generals.
``We ask the Venezuelan people's forgiveness for today's events,'' said Vasquez Velasco, the army commander. ``Mr. President, I was loyal to the end, but today's deaths cannot be tolerated.''
04/12/02 13:49
By JORGE RUEDA
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez, the former army paratrooper who polarized Venezuela with his strongarm rule and whose friendship with Cuba and Iraq irritated the United States, resigned under military pressure Friday after a massive opposition demonstration ended in a bloodbath.
Chavez, 47, presented his resignation to the military after top commanders confronted him at the presidential palace. Before dawn he left the palace - wearing a military fatigues and red beret, as he did when he led a failed 1992 coup - and was put in detention at Caracas' Fort Tiuna army base to face possible charges.
Pedro Carmona, head of Venezuela's largest business association, announced he would head a transitional government to be installed later Friday. Carmona quickly ended a strike that had slowed down oil production by Venezuela - the third biggest supplier to the United States - and promised to throw out Chavez-era economic laws opposed by the private sector.
Chavez quit just hours after at least 14 people were killed and 250 wounded during a 150,000-strong opposition demonstration in downtown Caracas. Chavez had ordered National Guard troops and civilian gunmen to stop the marchers from reaching the palace, military officers said.
But opposition to Chavez's three-year presidency had been growing for some time. His one-time 80 percent popularity ratings plunge to below 30 percent this year as he repeatedly accused business leaders, labor, the news media and even Roman Catholic Church leaders of conspiring to overthrow him.
The armed forces - which has traditionally strong ties to the U.S. military - resented Chavez's distancing of Venezuela from Washington. Many also disliked Chavez's ties with leftist Colombian guerrillas and with Fidel Castro's Cuba: Many senior officers had fought Cuban-backed communist guerrillas in the 1960s and early 1970s.
President Bush called Friday for a quick return to peace in Venezuela. Bush ``is saddened by the loss of life, and the president hopes now that the situation will be one of tranquility and democracy,'' White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Police warned Friday that ``Chavistas'' - supporters of the president - were distributing weapons, especially in the hillside slums surrounding the capital. Officers raided storehouses, seizing dozens of firearms.
Security forces searched for members of Chavez's Cabinet and arrested ex-Interior Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin. Civilians tried to attack Chacin as he was led from a building by police officers.
With Chavez's ouster, jubilant executives at Venezuela's state oil monopoly, who had been engaged in a work slowdown, promised to bring production up to speed as quickly as possible. Venezuela is the world's fourth biggest exporter.
Oil prices dipped on news of Chavez' downfall amid expectations of a production increase. Oil markets have been concerned over supply after Iraq's decision this week to suspend exports to Israeli allies.
Chavez was being held at the army base while investigators decide what charges he could face for Thursday's violence, said army commander Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco. Chavez asked to be allowed to go into exile in Cuba, but the miltiary turned him down, army Gen. Roman Fuemayor told Globovision television. ``He has to be held accountable to his country,'' Fuemayor said.
In downtown Caracas, streets were littered with debris - and in some places, stained with blood. After a night when thousands went out and celebrated, shops and businesses remained closed, and most people simply stayed home, stunned and wondering what would come next. Buses were half-empty, and those reporting to work hurried amid rubble-strewn sidewalks.
Carmona, who backed the strikes that helped bring down Chavez, said one of his first acts as interim president would be to reinstate several military officers sacked in recent months for criticizing Chavez.
``Everyone will feel that there exists plenty of freedom, pluralism and respect for the state of law, for values, and ethical and moral principles,'' Carmona said.
Carlos Ortega, head of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation, which also called the strikes, said the interim government must ``immediately resolve the problems facing workers,'' including unpaid salary increases and some $21 billion in back wages and pensions.
Cuba, whose leader Castro is a personal friend of Chavez, denounced the Venezuelan's overthrow, with the Communist Party daily Granma saying it was the result of a ``conspiracy'' by the country's wealthy classes, corrupt politicians and news media.
The rapid developments stunned this oil-rich, yet poverty-stricken nation.
The demonstration in Caracas late Thursday was the culmination of a strike called by the 1 million-member Venezuelan Workers Confederation and the business association Fedecamaras. The strike was in support of the protesting executives at the state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela.
National Guard troops fired tear gas at the front ranks of marchers bearing sticks and throwing rocks. Tear gas drifted into the presidential compound. Rooftop snipers and Chavez supporters repeatedly fired upon the protesters and even ambulance crews trying to evacuate the wounded.
The wave of protests marked the end for a president who had come into power with great support, particularly by the poor, promising a ``revolution'' against corruption and poverty.
Chavez had irritated Washington with his close ties to Castro, visits to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and to Libya, and criticism of U.S. bombings in Afghanistan.
And he had alienated virtually every sector of Venezuelan society, with his attacks on the news media and Roman Catholic Church leaders, his refusal to consult with business leaders, and his failed attempt to assert control over labor groups.
Domestic opponents claimed his government was secretly arming neighborhood block committees known as ``Bolivarian Circles,'' named after South American liberator Simon Bolivar, to defend his revolution. The Circles were created after Castro urged Chavez's supporters to organize during a 2000 visit.
For Chavez, who on Tuesday boasted he would remain president until 2021, the end came quickly.
Just last Friday, he refused to negotiate with the striking oil executives, who were demanding that he remove a company board he had appointed Feb. 25. The executives claimed Chavez was trying to strengthen his hold on a multinational corporation that cherishes its autonomy.
The executives' slowdown cut production at the Paraguana refinery complex, one of the world's largest, to below 50 percent capacity. They closed another refinery and all but stopped loading of oil tankers. Oil generates 80 percent of Venezuela's foreign earnings.
The Air Force chief, Gen. Regulo Anselmi, said the military urged Chavez on Wednesday to negotiate. He agreed, but by then the oil executives had rejected such overtures.
After Thursday's violence, the high command decided Chavez had to go, and they confronted him en masse in his offices, Anselmi said. Troops seized the government television station as tanks rumbled on the streets.
Chavez finally handed his resignation to Anselmi and two generals.
``We ask the Venezuelan people's forgiveness for today's events,'' said Vasquez Velasco, the army commander. ``Mr. President, I was loyal to the end, but today's deaths cannot be tolerated.''
04/12/02 13:49