Chavez back in power after overthrow by Venezuelan military

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Triumphant yet chastened, President Hugo Chavez returned to office on the wings of a popular uprising two days after he was ousted and arrested by Venezuela's military, saying he has reflected on his mistakes and was prepared to "make corrections."

"I do not come with hate or rancor in my heart, but we must make decisions and adjust things," Chavez said at dawn, moments after pushing past tens of thousands of supporters to reclaim the presidential palace in Venezuela, the third-biggest supplier of oil to the United States.

Opposition leaders stayed clear of public light on Sunday. Venezuelans struggled to make sense of the dizzying, bloody sequence of events that led to Chavez's brief ouster and stunning return.

Chavez was ousted by his military high command, which claimed he had resigned under pressure after gunmen opened fire on opposition protesters. At least 16 people were killed.

Economist Pedro Carmona was sworn in Friday, only to resign a day later amid widespread street protests, looting and rebellions by several military officers who refused to go along with the plan. Chavez's vice president said Saturday that Carmona and his supporters would be tried.

"I'm sorry, but the pain I feel doesn't let me talk," said one old man, his eyes welling as he stared at his scorched shoestore in a western Caracas slum.

Chavez appealed for calm, and the looting that went on through the night died down. By sunrise Sunday, streets in the capital were empty.

A caravan of Chavez supporters interrupted the silence, speeding through the city in motorcycles and cars, honking horns and chanting, "He's back! He's back!"

The Bush administration, which showed no remorse when the Venezuelan military ousted the country's elected president last week, advised Chavez on Sunday to make good use of his second chance.

"We do hope that Chavez recognizes that the whole world is watching and that he takes advantage of this opportunity to right his own ship, which has been moving, frankly, in the wrong direction for quite a long time," said Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's national security adviser.

Vows to make changes

In his strongest conciliatory gesture, Chavez announced that a board of directors opposed by executives at state-owned oil monopoly had resigned.

The internal power struggle at PDVSA swelled last week into a popular rebellion by the opposition, triggering a general national strike, a huge demonstration that ended in bloodshed and Chavez's short-lived ouster.