"We have received some very important intelligence in which actors from Venezuela's extreme right, working with right wing actors from outside the country, were plotting an attack against the vice president of the republic," said Interior Minister Nestor Reverol.

"They were also plotting against the president of the National Assembly," he said, referring to Diosdado Cabello, who also leads the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

Reverol, who spoke at a pro-government rally in Caracas, provided no details, saying the plot was under investigation.

The government over the years frequently has accused outside extremists with seeking to assassinate Chavez and overthrow the government.

As recently as last month, Venezuela expelled a French national, Frederic Laurent Bouquet, after he finished serving four years in prison for an alleged plot to kill Chavez.

The latest claim comes amid tension over Chavez's prolonged absence from public view as he convalesces in Cuban from a fourth round of cancer surgery.

The Venezuelan leader was too sick to attend his scheduled inauguration on January 10, but in recent days officials have said he has been making encouraging progress.