| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, April 22 2002 |
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| In just 48 hours, Venezuelans took a crash course on how not to stage a coup. In that tumultuous time period, President Hugo Chavez was overthrown and a new president took office, only to be overthrown himself and have Chavez reinstated. Amid the chaos and confusion, it seemed the Venezuelan time bomb that had been ticking away for three years had finally exploded. But things were not as they appeared. The coup attempt failed due to miscalculations and downright stupid mistakes.
This is what set off the bizarre series of events: On the afternoon of April 11, thousands of people filled the streets of the Venezuelan capital. Several weeks of street protests and confrontations between opponents and sympathizers of President Chavez had escalated. By the afternoon, tempers flared and shots were fired into the crowds. There were immediate reports of at least 10 fatalities and dozens of injuries.
Local TV stations showed videotape of presumed Chavez loyalists shooting into the crowd. As tanks rolled down the streets of Caracas, there were rumors that Chavez had ordered the military to shoot at his opponents. At least a dozen generals revolted when it appeared that Chavez would turn the military against his own people. The generals announced that Chavez had resigned and had asked to leave the country. A prominent business leader was installed as president, and Chavez was detained in a military installation.
So far, so good. It seemed like an easy way to get rid of a president whose authoritarian style had managed to antagonize almost every sector of Venezuelan society. Chavez had fought with the church, big business, union leaders and the media. He single-handedly destabilized an oil-rich country, and he failed to fulfill promises of eradicating poverty and corruption. His support of Colombian guerrilla groups concerned his neighbors, and his close relationship to Fidel Castro, Muammar Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein worried the United States.
What the coup leaders forgot to do was make an effective plan of action. The man they chose to take over the presidency went too far. He immediately dissolved the Congress and fired the Supreme Court, the governors and the mayors, most of whom were members of Chavez's leftist political movement. He began to form a cabinet with members of the upper class, and he announced that he would hold a special election in one year -- a bit long for an improvised government.
When word got out that Chavez had never actually resigned and was being held against his will, it was the perfect excuse to reverse the course of action. The coup leaders underestimated the support that Chavez still had among the military hierarchy and rank and file, and among the civilian defense groups that Chavez organized to protect his so-called Bolivarian Revolution. Even though Chavez's popularity has gone down, the coup leaders also underestimated the support that Chavez still has among the countrypoor, who voted him into power in protest of the corruption and inefficiency of the traditional political parties.
It did not help the coup leaders that no country in the hemisphere recognized the new government as legitimate. The Organization of American States expressed concern about the breakup of constitutionality and the threat to democratic rule. The U.S. government seemed to be the only one that approved of the new leadership -- a move that is now being questioned by some as possible complicity in the failed coup attempt.
There are strong lessons to be learned from the Venezuelan debacle. Chavez's opponents -- possibly a majority in Venezuela -- learned they cannot topple an elected president without broad support inside and outside of the country. Hopefully, Chavez has learned that his mandate to govern hangs by a thread. If he wants to stay in power, he cannot forget why he was elected in the first place. This was a close call, Mr. Chavez. Learn your lesson. |
