On Wednesday, riot police used tear gas as they blocked hundreds of Venezuelans protesting what they call new moves by President Hugo Chavez to concentrate his power. The demonstrators claimed a blacklist barring key opposition candidates from elections and a series of socialist decrees are destroying the remainder of its democracy.

Though, Fox News reports that, “the protest of about 1,000 people chanting, “freedom!” was small compared to past marches, there is a growing public outcry over the sidelining of key government opponents ahead of state and local elections in November.”

Chavez critics are also outraged by 26 laws the president just decreed, some of them mirroring the socialist measures voters rejected in a December referendum.

In a speech on Wednesday, Chavez said that their concerns are grossly overblown. He is quoted as saying, “this is a democracy. They call me a tyrant – tyrants govern without laws. We’re making laws, and all those laws are for the benefit of the country.”

Chavez issued the decrees right before the expiration of special legislative powers that permitted him to make laws without National Assembly approval for the past 18 months.

According to Fox, “one decree establishes a civilian militia that critics warn could emulate the citizen groups that control many aspects of community life in Cuba.”

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