President Hugo Chavez returned triumphantly to office two days after he was ousted and arrested by Venezuela's military, raising his fist in the air as he greeted supporters and reclaimed the presidential palace today.
"I'm still stupefied. I'm still assimilating," Chavez said in a live TV address to the nation after flying by helicopter to the palace in Caracas from captivity on a Venezuelan island in the Caribbean, the last of five places where he was held.
Chavez appealed for calm as thousands of Venezuelans thronged the streets outside the gates, singing the national anthem and setting off firecrackers to celebrate his return.
"I do not come with hate or rancor in my heart, but we must make decisions and adjust things," said Chavez, who appeared in good shape, even though he had barely slept since his arrest late Thursday.
US officials have appealed to Caracas to maintain order and allow for the restoration of democracy following President Chavez's return.
In a statement read by State Department spokesman Fredrick Jones, Washington pointedly avoided referring to Chavez by name.
"We are concerned about the situation in Venezuela, we are watching carefully as events unfold," said Jones, reading from the prepared statement.
"We continue to call on all elements to avoid violence and seek ways to engage peacefully to resolve this crisis," he said.
"Those in authority bear particular responsibility to maintain order and the conditions necessary for Venezuelans to work together to restore fully the central elements of democracy."
Washington will "continue to work with our hemispheric partners in Organisation of American States to assist Venezuela confront the current crisis," he added.
OAS diplomats on Saturday said they were ready to apply for the first time against Venezuela a charter requiring sanctions for any member that abandons democracy.
AFP/Reuters