In Venezuela, six television stations were blacked out early this morning after cable operators complied with a government order and refused to carry their signals.

The director of one of the stations, RCTV, says the main reason for the blackout is that the broadcasters have refused to transmit speeches by the country's president, Hugo Chávez. Recent government regulations oblige the stations to carry these speeches, as well as official government announcements. 

With parliamentary elections due to be held in September, Mr Chávez is hoping to hold onto his majority. However, Venezuela is now coping with high inflation and electricity shortages and recent opinion polls suggest that his popularity is in decline. One year ago, the polls found he could count on the support of 60 percent of those questioned. That figure has now dropped to 50 percent.

Logo from RCTV