Venezuela's Interior Minister Luis Miquilena has left his post.

Hugo Chavez

President Hugo Chavez announced the departure on Thursday. The former legislator, in his 80's, will be replaced by retired naval officer Ramon Rodriguez Chacin.

Opposition newspapers say Mr. Miquilena is leaving because he and the president disagree on policy matters. But, Mr. Miquilena has said publicly that the two have no quarrel.

The move comes as President Chavez scrambles to increase public support. His approval rating - once more than 80 percent - is now around 30 percent.

Opposition groups massed in Caracas, Wednesday, waving flags and banging pots and pans while demanding the the president's resignation.

Last month, more than 90 percent of Venezuelan businesses participated in a one-day strike to protest government economic policies. The president denounced the effort as a "conspiracy" to destabilize the country.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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