President Hugo Chávez is trying to whip up public support to close down Globovision, the remaining Venezuelan television channel critical of his administration.

Chávez has called Globovision "an enemy of the Venezuelan people," and fervent government supporters want the national tax office to investigate the station. Hundreds of them rallied outside of Globovision last month.

The threats against Globovision come less than a year after Chávez knocked RCTV, the country's most popular television station, off the commercial airwaves. RCTV had broadcast unflattering news coverage of Chávez for years.

Outside observers say that silencing Globovision would give the president near-complete control over television news coverage.

"We're kind of a trophy for the government to say that there is freedom of expression in Venezuela," [Globovison part-owner Alberto] Ravell said in his office.

The pollster Datos, in a quarterly survey of 2,000 Venezuelans last month, found that some 34 percent said they support Chávez's government, down from a high of 67 percent in early 2005, and the lowest level since 2003, the Associated Press reported.

Another survey, by Venezuelan pollster Alfredo Keller, found that 37 percent of Venezuelans queried identified themselves as Chávez supporters in February, down from 50 percent in mid-2007, AP reported.