MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Carmona sworn in, vows to restore Venezuelan democracy

Vowing to restore Venezuelan democracy, business leader Pedro Carmona was sworn in Friday as the nation's interim president following the ouster of Hugo Chavez.

The new leader immediately dissolved the legislature and announced elections within a year. At a ceremony at the Miraflores presidential palace in downtown Caracas, the 61-year-old head of the Fedecamaras business chamber promised that his administration would be a democratic one intent on fostering national unity. In his first words as interim president, Carmona pledged to hold before December elections for a new National Constitutional Assembly that would be "free, transparent and democractic," and elections for president, governors and mayors within 365 days. "I swear to almighty God, to my country and to all Venezuelans to re-establish full validity of the 1999 Constitution and restore the state of law, governability, and the guarantee of the exercise of citizens' rights and of respect for life, equality and social responsibility," Carmona proclaimed. Formation of the new transition government included dismissing the National Assembly deputies, the members of the Supreme Court, the People's Ombudsman, the Attorney General, the Comptroller and the National Electoral Council, and changing the country's official name back to the "Republic of Venezuela." Chavez had renamed the country the "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" in honor of his idol Simon Bolivar - South America's 19th-century independence hero. Carmona filled many of the top posts in his interim government and asked "all Venezuelans for support and help" in the transition period that will culminate in presidential elections "to be held within a period not to exceed 365 days from this date." The transition government "will cease its activities once the democratically elected president has taken office" and he - Carmona - "cannot be a candidate" in those elections, according to the decree. The agreement-decree was signed by high-ranking representatives of the church and military, industrial, political and human rights sectors. Carmona named Gen. Rafael Damiani Bustillos, one of the army officers who demanded former President Chavez's resignation early Friday, to be Interior Minister; Social Christian politician Jose Rodriguez to be Foreign Minister; Vice-Admiral Hector Ramirez to be Defense Minister; former Deputy Leopoldo