But Mr. Chávez is wagering that he can fill the gap, particularly in foreign investment, through new ventures with allies like Cuba and Iran.

For instance, after a three-day visit here last month by a high-level Iranian delegation, Venezuela and Iran agreed to build a manufacturing plant for tractor parts and a cement factory. Similarly, Venezuela announced the creation this month of two companies with Cuban partners in the fishing and pork industries.

Potentially of greater impact, China and Venezuela inaugurated the headquarters here of a $6 billion fund this month to carry out infrastructure projects. Beijing is putting $4 billion into the fund, part of an effort by Mr. Chávez to export more oil to China in exchange for more Chinese investment in Venezuela.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chávez is testing new policies to curb a slide in the currency, the bolívar, and restiveness over food shortages. Protests broke out this year in parts of Venezuela over food shortages and climbing food costs, including one disturbance in Sabaneta, Mr. Chávez’s impoverished home city, in Barinas State.

Some of the new economic policies, aided by ample oil income, are working relatively well.

The black market rate of the bolívar climbed more than 20 percent in the past two months, to 3.4 to the dollar, after the government soaked up demand for foreign exchange by selling dollar-denominated bonds to investors here. The move brought some stability to a currency that had been shaken by accelerating capital flight in the past year.

A recent surge in oil prices has also helped Mr. Chávez’s government mask declining production at the national oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela. His supporters in the National Assembly recently approved a windfall tax on oil producers, potentially giving the government more than $2 billion in extra revenue this year.

Anxiety here has also eased with the reappearance of some foods on supermarket shelves, notably milk. Stung by criticism over milk scarcity, the government eased price controls for milk and recently took over a large dairy concern, Lácteos Los Andes, directing it to reduce yogurt production and raise milk output.