Lucas Rincón Romero (born 1 February 1950) is a Venezuelan military officer.

Lucas Rincón Romero
Born (1950-02-01) 1 February 1950 (age 74)
La Cañada de Urdaneta, Zulia, Venezuela
AllegianceNational Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela
Years of service1972–
RankGeneral in Chief
CommandsMinister of Defense (April-July 2002)
Minister of Interior and Justice (2003–2004)
Other workAmbassador of Venezuela to Portugal (2006–)[1]

Career

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Lucas Rincón was the highest-ranking Venezuelan military officer at the time of the 2002 coup d'état attempt against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.[2] He announced in a television broadcast that Chávez had resigned, "se le solicitó al señor presidente la renuncia de su cargo, la cual aceptó" (the president was asked to resign his post, which he accepted).[3] He had been one of Chavez's most loyal military officers.[4]

Chávez was returned to power within three days and there has since been debate as to whether the resignation was genuine.[5] Chávez said in a BBC interview in October 2005 that media reports that announced that he had renounced his position were false.[6]

Rincón went on to become the Minister of Interior and Justice from January 2003 to September 2004.[7][8] Since 2006, he serves as the Ambassador of Venezuela to Portugal.[9]

References

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  1. ^ BBC Mundo | Los protagonistas
  2. ^ Trinkunas, Harold A. (May 2002). "Civil-Military Relations in Venezuela after 11 April: Beyond Repair?". Center for Contemporary Conflict. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  3. ^ "Nuevo gobierno en Venezuela" (in Spanish). BBC. 2002-04-12. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  4. ^ Nelson, Brian A. (2012). The silence and the scorpion : the coup against Chávez and the making of modern Venezuela. New York: Nation Books. p. 49. ISBN 978-1568586861.
  5. ^ Palast, Greg (2002-04-17). "Don't believe everything you read in the papers about Venezuela". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  6. ^ "Talking Point - Interview" (RealMedia). BBC News. 2005-10-23. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  7. ^ VENews web site, 21 January 2003, Venezuela: Ex-army chief says appointment of new interior minister "immoral"
  8. ^ Radio Nacional de Venezuela, Caracas, 25 August 2004, Venezuela's Chavez vows to forge ahead with "Bolivarian Revolution"
  9. ^ "Embassy of Venezuela in Lisbon, Portugal". embassypages.com. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2022.