Sunday, 14 April, 2002

Third Venezuelan president sworn in

BBC News

Venezuela's interim President Pedro Carmona has resigned after a single day in office, as protests continue in support of ousted leader Hugo Chavez.

Former Vice-President Diosdado Cabello has been sworn in as president but said he is simply waiting to return the country to his ally Mr Chavez as soon as he reappears.

Mr Carmona, a business leader who took over after Mr Chavez's removal on Friday, had apparently lost the support of the military and the National Assembly.

The BBC's Nick Miles in Caracas says that Mr Chavez could arrive in the capital in a matter of an hour or two.

Mr Cabello has said he will hold power until Mr Chavez returns and "institutional order" is restored.

Tens of thousands of Chavez supporters have surrounded the mainly empty presidential palace, which has been taken over by troops loyal to the ousted president.

Several television stations in Caracas have been taken over by Chavez supporters.

Mr Chavez has not been seen since Friday morning when the armed forces said he resigned at their request.

He had been held at the Fuerte Tiuna military base in the capital but there have been reports he has been moved to the Turiamo naval base on the coast, about 100km (60 miles) away.

Reversed decision

Mr Carmona, the 60-year-old leader of the Fedecamaras business chamber, had dissolved the National Assembly and the courts and promised elections within a year.

But he was soon forced to reverse his decision and reinstate the National Assembly, after armed forces chief General Efrain Vasquez said he would only support Mr Carmona if the congress was restored.

He was then forced to suspend the inauguration of his new cabinet while police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

It is still not clear whether General Efrain Vasquez will now back the return of Mr Chavez.

Pro-Chavez protests

The pro-Chavez crowds that gathered in Caracas and other cities around Venezuela said they were not convinced the president had stepped down.

Protestors said they wanted to see the letter of resignation which the provisional government said it had.

Mr Chavez's administration fell on Friday after three days of violent street demonstrations and a general strike called by business and labour leaders against the president's appointment of his supporters to head the national oil company.

The army blamed Mr Chavez for the deaths of at least 13 people and injuries to 240 more when soldiers obeyed presidential orders to fire on a crowd of 150,000 demonstrators.

Mr Chavez won a landslide election victory in 1998 but has recently been facing serious political problems. He has asked for exile in Cuba, where his friend and ally Fidel Castro is in power.

Leaders from Latin American countries have called meetings to discuss the situation in Venezuela and most did not recognised the change of government, though they criticised Mr Chavez.

Tomado de BBC News