Venezuela's military poised for new coup

Venezuela's controversial, populist President Hugo Chavez, who was dramatically restored to power two months ago after being briefly ousted by the armed forces, is facing another showdown.

A second coup, possibly much bloodier than the first, is likely between now and 5 July, according to experts here and military officers who claim to be part of an "institutionalist" movement. Fearing for his safety, President Chavez has cancelled public appearances.

On Friday night the armed forces were on maximum alert, and sources in the presidential palace said they had been warned to expect a coup attempt in the early hours of the morning. Later the tension eased slightly, but there was concern over the outcome of an opposition rally due to bring tens of thousands of people on to the streets of Caracas yesterday. The April coup was triggered by a march on the palace, in which 18 people were shot dead.

President Chavez, a former army lieutenant-colonel, himself staged a failed coup in 1992 but was democratically elected in 1998. Since taking power he has reformed the constitution and sought to turn the armed forces into an instrument of his leftist "Bolivarian revolution", named after the Venezuelan-born independence hero, Simon Bolivar.

He has also earned the disapproval of the US, which receives up to 15 per cent of its oil supplies from Venezuela. Suspicious of his links with guerrillas in neighbouring Colombia and Cuba, Washington all but welcomed the April coup.

Four junior officers who said they were part of a fresh coup plot agreed to talk to The Independent on Sunday on condition of anonymity. Three wore masks and camouflage fatigues, while the fourth – a national guard lieutenant – agreed to appear with his face uncovered. "We want to put a stop to an unsustainable situation," said an army captain. "If nothing changes, we're heading for civil war."

Claiming to represent as much as 70 per cent of the armed forces, of all ranks, the officers cited specifically military grievances as well as their rejection of what they called the government's "Communist tendencies". They handed over a payslip showing that an ordinary member of the national guard earns as little as US$150 per month after deductions. The armed forces, they claimed, were being deliberately starved of resources while money was diverted to bolster so-called "Bolivarian circles". These civilian groups are seen by the Venezuelan opposition as partly a cover for the creation of militias.

Sources close to hard-line members of President Chavez's movement confirmed that automatic weapons had been distributed to civilian groups and that at least "some hotheads" would use them in the event of a coup. The military rebels have threatened to kill anyone who represents a threat to lives or property.

"We are prepared for anything," the army captain said. He warned of a "river of blood" if there was resistance by pro-Chavez forces, adding that there were "fanatical military units too" that were willing to die for the government cause.

Because of the annual round of military promotions, 5 July is seen as a key date. After that, many dissident officers will have been removed from their posts, and up to several hundred could be expelled from the armed forces. If successful, the rebel officers said, the leaders of their movement planned to install a military-civilian junta and call elections as soon as possible.