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Pedro Carmona Estanga (born 1941 in Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela) was briefly the President of Venezuela, from April 12 to April 13, 2002. A business leader, he was installed after a coup d'état to overthrow Hugo Chávez following popular protests, as well as support from elements of the Venezuelan military, press, business community, and right-wing political parties.

During his brief period in office Carmona reversed changes made by Chávez, including:

• Dissolved the National Assembly, promising elections by December.
• Pledged presidential elections within one year.
• Declared void the 1999 Constitution adopted by referendum in 1999.
• Promised a return to the pre-1999 bicameral parliamentary system.
• Effective immediately, reverted the name of the nation to República de Venezuela.
• Repealed 49 laws that gave the government greater control of the economy.
• Reinstated retired General Guaicaipuro Lameda as president of Petróleos de Venezuela.
• Fired the Supreme Court judges, National Electoral Court, and the ombudsman.

In the face of public protests and under pressure from some quarters of the military , Carmona was removed by civil authorities and Chávez was restored to office. Some Chávez supporters have alleged that the coup attempt was bankrolled and/or encouraged by the government of the United States, a charge the U.S. denies.

After the failure of the overthrow, Carmona was placed under house arrest and was accused of usurping the presidency and of engaging in rebellion. When a Venezuelan court ordered his transfer to another prison, Carmona fled from his residence to the Colombian Embassy, where he requested political asylum.

On May 27, 2002, the Colombian administration of President Andrés Pastrana Arango granted him asylum, an act which was rejected, but simultanously respected as legally valid, by Venezuelan authorities. Carmona was allowed safe passage to exit the embassy by the Venezuelan government, and arrived in Bogotá on a Colombian military flight on May 29, 2002, proceeding to check into a residential compound on that same date.

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

See also

• Venezuelan coup attempt of 2002

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
• Venezuela's Attorney General Office requests formal charges of civilian rebellion against Pedro Carmona Estanga

v t e President of Venezuela (list)
Since 1830	Páez Narvarte Vargas Carreño Vargas Narvarte Carreño Soublette Páez Soublette J. T. Monagas J. G. Monagas J. T. Monagas Gual J. Castro Gual Tovar Gual Páez Falcón Bruzual Villegas J. R. Monagas Villegas Guzmán Linares Valera Guzmán Crespo Guzmán H. López Rojas Andueza Villegas Villegas Pulido Crespo Andrade C. Castro Gómez Gil Fortoul Márquez Gómez J. Pérez Gómez López Contreras Medina Betancourt Gallegos Delgado Chalbaud Suárez Flamerich Pérez Jiménez Larrazábal Sanabria Betancourt Leoni Caldera C. Pérez Herrera Lusinchi C. Pérez Lepage Velásquez Caldera Chávez Cabello Chávez Maduro Guaidó
Acting / interim / caretaker presidents shown in italics Recognized by the National Assembly as "interim president" during the Venezuelan presidential crisis until 2023

• 1941 births
• Leaders by coup
• Living people
• Presidents of Venezuela