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.

Opposition critics have said Chavez's foreign tour produced long joint communiques but few tangible results.

The signatories on the resignation plea include former Defense Minister Raul Isaias Baduel and Hermannn Escarra, one of the main people behind the new Chavez-era constitution that celebrates the president's Bolivarian revolution.

The statement said that after 11 years in power Chavez had demonstrated he had neither the legitimacy nor the capacity to govern the country.

It said it was important for Chavez to resign to protect Venezuela from a further continuation of the various "ills" that are continuing to affect the country.

The document attacked the president's' "autocratic, totalitarian and self-centered way of governing" and his "utterly careless use of language ... which lays bare a soul that is intolerant, petty, hateful and resentful."

The president's fiery statements against Colombia, which signed a military cooperation agreement with the United States last year to combat drug trafficking to North America, were seen by opposition critics as one of the reasons for Venezuela's diplomatic isolation.

Chavez also alienated politicians in neighboring countries by attacking them for their political affiliations. He was particularly harsh on politicians who favor a closer relationship with the United States.

Amid continuing political rows, many conducted on state-run television, Venezuela's urgent domestic problems have been swept aside, opposition critics said. Tough economic conditions have made Venezuelan urban centers hotbeds of violent crime, news reports showed.

Critics have also cited cronyism and corruption in high places and suppression of the media, repeatedly cited by international human-rights organizations.

The group said it backed respect for private property rights, a reference to a recent spate of confiscation of business and private properties by government decrees.

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