Dávila knew Hugo Chávez as a cadet in the armored Briage of San Fernando de Apure.
[2] Dávila asked to be discharged from the military in 1990, even though he had been considered for the position of general under the president Carlos Andrés Pérez.
At the time, Dávila was "under fire recently for failing to curb Venezuela's rising crime rate.
Discussions dealt with Venezuela’s territorial claim, and the Caracas Energy Cooperation Accord [es].
Dávila “placed [his] followers at all levels,” and like Miquilena, he rejected Cuban socialism in favor of consolidation over radicalization.