Easter holiday extended

CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez is adding three days to Venezuela’s Easter holiday to bolster his government’s efforts to reduce electricity consumption as the South American nation struggles with a severe energy crisis.

Chavez announced Wednesday that he has designated the three days after Easter Sunday as days off. Coupled with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, already holidays, Venezuelans will now have an entire week off from work.

The announcement irked Venezuela’s business community. Chamber groups said the decision would disrupt industrial production, interfere with tax deadlines and possibly cause shortages of some foods.

The government said the decree would not affect food producers, restaurants, hotels, pharmacies and banks, where businesses and citizens file their taxes.

Chavez blames Venezuela’s energy shortages on a drought that has pushed the country’s main hydroelectric dam to low levels. Critics, including many business leaders, argue the government failed to invest enough in the electrical sector amid rising demand over the last decade.