Pedro Carmona
Born	1941 Barquisimeto
Alma mater	Universidad Católica Andrés Bello
Profession	business

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Pedro Francisco Carmona Estanga (born 1941 in Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela) is a former Venezuelan trade organization leader who was briefly declared President of Venezuela during an abortive 2002 military coup against Hugo Chávez. He occupied the office of President from April 12 to April 13.^[1] After the coup failed, Carmona, wanted by the authorities for illegal usurpation of power^[2], escaped house arrest, fled to Colombia, and later surfaced in Miami, Florida.

On April 11, 2002, after Chávez's supporters and opponents were fired on by snipers, Lucas Rincón, commander-in-chief of the Venezuelan armed forces, announced in a broadcast to a nationwide audience that Chávez had tendered his resignation from the presidency ^[3]. While Chávez was brought to a military base and held there, military leaders appointed Carmona as the transitional President of Venezuela, following mass protests and a general strike by his opponents.^[4]

In the face of crowds of Chávez supporters taking to the streets and under pressure from some quarters of the military,^[5] Carmona was removed by civil authorities^[who?] and 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 deputy Tarek William Saab, 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.^[6]

Prior to the overthrow and his subsequent exile, Carmona was president of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce (Fedecámaras), Venezuela's largest business owners' association.

[edit] See also

• Carmona Decree

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• BBC: Venezuelan coup leader given asylum
• CBS: Venezuelan Coup Leader Exits
• Latin Business Chronicle: Pedro Carmona: Actions, Not Words
• BBC Mundo: Pedro Carmona, presidente por un día (Spanish)
• Venezuela's Attorney General Office requests formal charges of civilian rebellion against Pedro Carmona Estanga