Former aides want Chavez to resign over charges of corruption and incomptence

Former aides want Chavez to resign

In a daring move, former aides of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have signed a petition asking the populist leader to resign because of gross incompetence.

The former loyalists' statement appeared in the local media, itself a brave move by the remainder of the Venezuelan press that has survived last year's purges and government measures against independently run newspapers, magazines and broadcasters.

It was also the first time that news had reached the outside world of the existence of a dissident group calling itself the Constitutional Axis.

The call for resignation follows weeks of growing public discontent over the shortages of water, power and basic necessities. The government said drought conditions caused by the El Nino phenomenon have drawn down water reservoir levels, but critics accused the government of mishandling that worsened the crisis.

Support for Chavez has dwindled since his much publicized foreign tours in 2009 that preceded major shortages and urban unrest. Critics accused Chavez of neglecting the domestic needs of Venezuela and of wasting resources on lavish foreign tours.