Carmona Denies Coup, Calls for Peaceful Change in Venezuela

  
In his first public appearance since his two-day stint as president of Venezuela in April, Pedro Carmona told a standing room only crowd at FIU that the temporary ouster of President Hugo Chávez was the result of "an avalanche of unexpected events" and not a coup attempt.

Carmona claimed that the country's military leadership asked him to fill the "vacuum of power" created after the army refused to carry out an alleged order by Chávez to crush anti-government demonstrations.

Speaking at a forum organized by LACC, Carmona called Chávez's resignation legal under Venezuela's 1999 constitution, which does not provide a clear line of presidential succession. As the president of Fedecámaras, Venezuela's largest business federation, Carmona had led previous strikes against the Chávez regime.

The emotional crowd at FIU for the July 3 talk included Chávez supporters, who condemned Carmona's role in the president's removal and drew the ire of the majority of the audience. Even Carmona's supporters, however, had harsh words for his failure to consolidate the regime's transition.

A question and answer period that lasted more than an hour allowed a glimpse of the frustration affecting many Venezuelans. Members of the audience praised Carmona for his actions but demanded that he explain how Chávez could have returned to power so quickly.

Carmona presented the mistakes of his short-lived presidency as the best proof that his rise to power was not premeditated. He also rejected charges that he was prepared to adopt an authoritarian or exclusionary style of government, denying press reports that he planned to suspend the constitution and form an elitist cabinet.

Carmona condemned the Chávez government for destroying "the balance of power that is the basis of a solid democracy." However, he made it clear that he does not advocate a coup or the use of force to replace the president. "The way out must come through legal and constitutional means," he emphasized, calling instead for dialogue and reconciliation.

Now living as a political refugee in Colombia, Carmona thanked FIU for giving him the opportunity to present his views. The announcement of his visit provoked criticism from pro-Chávez groups but was defended by the University on the basis of academic freedom of expression.

LACC "has always been a forum for leaders, academics, activists and others who have openly spoken their mind about affairs in the region," the center's director, Eduardo A. Gamarra, told the Miami Herald. "To allow the presence of controversial speakers has always been the role of universities in the United States."