[the coup has been undone...]
Chavez is back as Venezuela President April 14 By Jason Webb CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Fiery Venezuelan populist Hugo Chavez returned to the presidency in a conciliatory mood on Sunday after a government set up following Friday's military coup collapsed in the face of a rebellion by loyalist troops and massive protests. The former paratrooper turned politician flew back from the Venezuelan island of La Orchila where he had been held under arrest by military top brass who briefly ousted him as leader of the world's fourth-largest oil-exporting nation in favor of mild-mannered businessman Pedro Carmona. Raising his fist in jubilation, a grinning Chavez, who first came to prominence as leader of a failed coup attempt in 1992, advanced slowly through a tightly packed crowd of chanting supporters toward the entrance of the Miraflores presidential palace as a military band played. In a largely conciliatory speech, Chavez later told a news conference he had not been mistreated and recognized that both his government and his opponents had made mistakes. "There isn't going to be any retaliation, no witch hunt. I haven't any thirst for revenge," Chavez said, calling for his supporters who rioted on the streets in support of his return on Saturday to go quietly back to their homes. State prosecutors were interviewing Carmona and several senior military officers at the Fuerte Tiuna military base, even though they were not formally under arrest, Chavez's defense minister, Jose Vicente Rangel, said. Carmona resigned on Saturday night after protests broke out in favor of Chavez, and loyalist troops seized control of Miraflores. Instantly returning to his old talkative form, Chavez gave a rambling hourlong monologue that ended shortly before dawn broke over the troubled capital. He illustrated his promises of respect for the law by waving a small blue copy of the country's constitution and held up a crucifix he had taken with him into captivity. He recalled how he had washed his own socks and underwear and said the popular protests and army mutinies in his favor marked a historic triumph for the Venezuelan people. "I never for a moment doubted that we would return. But I never thought we would return so quickly," he said. Statements by military generals that he had resigned and asked to be sent abroad were lies, he said. "They put a piece of paper on the table saying "Resign," but I said, "I am a president being held prisoner, but I am not resigning." Rejoicing in their hero's return, thousands of ecstatic Chavez supporters, mainly from Caracas' sprawling slums, waved Venezuelan flags, chanted and pressed against the iron fence around the presidential palace. Sporadic violence continued in several parts of Venezuela's chaotic tropical capital, where tens of thousands of angry Chavez supporters took to the streets on Saturday to demand the return of a leader they said had stood up for the poor. In a day of chaos in which it was seldom clear who was running the country, the Chavez supporters clashed with police -- there were reports of several deaths -- and stormed television stations that had been fiercely critical of the populist leader. CHAVEZ'S CAREER SEEMED OVER Loyalist troops took control of the Miraflores palace and waved their berets and weapons in salute as huge crowds cheered them on. Chavez's career had seemed to be finished early on Friday, when the heads of the armed forces announced that he had agreed to resign at their request following the deaths of at least 11 unarmed anti-government protesters. The demonstrators -- among hundreds of thousands who marched to call for Chavez's resignation on Thursday -- were killed by gunmen in civilian dress. The protest had been sparked by a strike called by employees of the powerful state oil company, who objected to Chavez's decision to fire their board of directors. Carmona's interim government blamed Chavez for the deaths, said it was dismissing Congress and the Supreme Court and would hold elections within a year. The United States, which disliked Chavez for his friendship with Cuban President Fidel Castro and fretted about his populist leadership of a country that is one of its biggest oil suppliers, was clearly pleased to see the back of him. U.S. officials said they considered there had been no coup. The military officers behind Chavez's overthrow said they merely had done their duty by protecting unarmed civilians. Chavez, the 47-year old son of poor teachers, led troops in a failed coup attempt in 1992. After his release from prison, he launched a legal political career that swept him to power in a landslide election victory in 1998. Often opting to continue to wear his paratrooper colonel's red beret, Chavez delighted the poor but infuriated the rich and the powerful news media with his rambling, often folksy speeches that denounced the wealthy elite. As he amassed more power, his critics said he was leading Venezuela down the road toward a Cuban-style authoritarian government. His failure to cut levels of corruption or poverty also eroded much of his support in his power base among the poor, and his approval rating had fallen to about 30 percent by the time of the last opinion poll. TROOPS LOYAL TO CHAVEZ While many of the top generals turned against him on Thursday and Friday, his supporters had the last laugh as most of their troops remained loyal. At the end of what should have been his first full day in power, Carmona resigned after closed-door negotiations with top brass at Fuerte Tiuna. A few hours earlier, he had made a statement from military headquarters saying Chavez would shortly be leaving the country. But the game was up for the interim government. Chavez's vice president, Diosdado Cabello, was sworn in temporarily as president to tide over the gap of the few hours before his boss returned.
