Pedro Francisco Carmona Estanga (born 6 July 1941) is a former Venezuelan business leader who was briefly installed as acting
president of Venezuela in place of
Hugo Chávez, following the
attempted military coup in April 2002.
[Venezuelan coup leader given asylum](_blank)
- BBC News, 27 May 2002
April 2002
The early part of 2002 saw mass protests and a general strike by opponents of Hugo Chávez. On April 11, 2002, following clashes between both supporters and opponents of Chávez,
Lucas Rincón, commander-in-chief of the
Venezuelan Armed Forces
The National Bolivarian Armed Forces ( es, Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana - FANB) of Venezuela are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief (the President) and a civilian Minister of Defense. In addition to the army, navy, and air force there ...
, announced in a nationwide broadcast that Chávez had tendered his resignation from the presidency.
While Chávez was brought to a military base and held there, military leaders appointed Carmona as the transitional
President of Venezuela.
In the face of crowds of Chávez supporters taking to the streets and under pressure from some quarters of the military, Chávez was restored to office.
During Carmona's 36-hour government, military officers held Chávez and attempted to force his exile. Additionally, security forces conducted raids without warrants and took some Chávez supporters into custody illegally, including
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
deputy
Tarek William Saab
Tarek William Saab Halabi (, ar, طارق وليام صعب حلبي; born 10 September 1962) is a Venezuelan politician, lawyer and poet. He is a leader of the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) party founded by Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela ...
, a member of the Chávez-aligned
MVR, who was taken into protective custody by security forces after a large crowd had gathered around his home, threatening him and his family. He was held incommunicado for several hours.
After the coup, Carmona was placed under house arrest, but he was able to gain asylum in the Colombian embassy after an anti-Chávez protest drew away his security detail.
[Kozloff (2007:30)] Later, he was granted asylum in Colombia, where he has worked as a tenured lecturer at the
Sergio Arboleda University
Sergio Arboleda University ( es, Universidad Sergio Arboleda) is a university located in Bogotá, Colombia, with sectionals located in Santa Marta, Colombia and in Madrid, in Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat ...
.
See also
*
Presidents of Venezuela
*
List of Venezuelans
*
Carmona Decree
The Act Constituting the Government of Democratic Transition and National Unity ( es, Acta de Constitución del Gobierno de Transición Democrática y Unidad Nacional) – known colloquially as the "Carmona Decree" or ''El Carmonazo''
— was a doc ...
References
External links
BBC: Venezuelan coup leader given asylumCBS: Venezuelan Coup Leader ExitsBBC Mundo: Pedro Carmona, presidente por un día
Venezuela's Attorney General Office requests formal charges of civilian rebellion against Pedro Carmona Estanga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmona, Pedro
Leaders who took power by coup
1941 births
Living people
People from Barquisimeto
Venezuelan businesspeople
20th-century Venezuelan economists
Andrés Bello Catholic University alumni
Venezuelan anti-communists
Venezuelan exiles