Chavez mum on new Venezuelan finance minister

President Hugo Chavez left Venezuela in the dark about his new finance minister, failing to name his pick during an hours-long speech late on Wednesday, which he had said he would use to announce his choice. The El Nacional newspaper reported before the economic speech the leftist had selected a low-profile central bank director, Jose Rivas, to replace Rafael Isea, who will leave the post to run for regional elected office later this year. A senior official familiar with the decision-making had also told Reuters that earlier this week it appeared highly likely Rivas would receive the nod, but Chavez's silence raised doubts over who his economy chief -- the ninth since 1999 -- will be. Last week, economists had focused on two former finance ministers, Nelson Merentes and Jose Rojas.