Officials also provided a rare glimpse into the sequestered world of the convalescing leader, saying he has difficulty breathing and speaking but writes notes to aides while making all government decisions. Sometimes, there is music in his hospital room and it is like a party, one official said. The four photographs released by the government show Mr. Chávez lying in bed and smiling, with two of his daughters, Rosa Virginia and María Gabriela, on either side. Jorge Arreaza, the minister of science and technology, who is married to María Gabriela, said the pictures were taken Thursday. In three of them, Mr. Chávez is holding a copy of what Mr. Arreaza said was Thursday's edition of the Cuban newspaper Granma. "There he is with his family, always attentive to the people of Venezuela, always attentive and in charge of his functions, working tirelessly," Mr. Arreaza said.
The Venezuelan information minister, Ernesto Villegas, said that doctors had controlled a severe lung infection, but added that the president was breathing with a "tracheal tube," making speech difficult.
In the photographs, Mr. Chávez wore what appeared to be a white and blue jacket, which covered his throat. No tube was visible.