"Jesse Chacon will be sworn in, probably tomorrow, as minister of communication and information," a government official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters on Wednesday.
Chacon, a computer systems engineer and retired army lieutenant, took part with Chavez in a 1992 botched coup. Chavez won the 1998 presidential election, and Chacon was named two years ago to head the state telecommunications regulatory agency CONATEL.
As chief of CONATEL, which is responsible for monitoring television and radio broadcasting in Venezuela, Chacon is one of the architects of a proposed law that would prohibit broadcasting of sex and violence during most of the day and evening in order to protect children.
The proposed bill also forbids broadcasting events and statements that "incite disruption of public order."
Opponents of the populist president say the Radio and Television Social Responsibility law before parliament is an attempt to muzzle criticism of the government by private media controlled by the opposition.
Broadcasters who repeatedly broke these rules would face large fines or could have their licenses taken away.
New York-based Human Rights Watch urged Chavez Tuesday to withdraw the broadcasting bill, saying that, if passed, it would have a "chilling effect on free expression."
Chavez and other officials have defended it, saying the government needs to counter what they call a campaign of "media terrorism" being waged by the opposition.
Chacon replaces Nora Uribe, a journalist who resigned as Chavez's information minister after technical problems disrupted a live presidential broadcast June 24. Uribe had served nearly a year in the newly created post. [End]
The lack of jobs was the biggest problem for 35.5% of the 1,000 surveyed in June, up from 26% in a similar poll last November, according to the report.
Unemployment is currently around 20%, compared with about 15% a year ago, as the government battles an enduring recession highlighted by the first quarter's 29% economic contraction.
The poll is bad news for Chavez who faces a recall vote after Aug. 19, the halfway point of his six-year term which runs through early 2007.
The left-leaning leader's critics fear he'll try to maintain his grip on power by delaying the vote until after Aug. 19, 2004. If he loses the referendum after that date, a vice president he appoints can finish out his term, instead of calling early elections. [End]