President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela was deposed in a coup led by several generals and the country's business elite. An interim government was established under the leadership of Pedro Carmona Estanga, the head of a major business association. Latin American leaders denounced the "interruption of the constitutional order." American officials welcomed the coup and said that it was a victory for democracy. Oil prices immediately dropped. Within days, great crowds of supporters occupied the presidential palace and Chávez was back in power. "I hope that Hugo Chávez takes the message that his people sent him," said Condoleezza Rice.
Weekly Review
Weekly Review
Weekly Review
President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela was deposed in a coup led by several generals and the country's business elite. An interim government was established under the leadership of Pedro Carmona Estanga, the head of a major business association. Latin American leaders denounced the "interruption of the constitutional order." American officials welcomed the coup and said that it was a victory for democracy. Oil prices immediately dropped. Within days, great crowds of supporters occupied the presidential palace and Chávez was back in power. "I hope that Hugo Chávez takes the message that his people sent him," said Condoleezza Rice.