US Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain (R-AZ) said that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is "undemocratic" because he requested a new enabling law that allows him to pass laws by decree without the approval of the National Assembly.

"His latest recent move to obtain powers to rule by decree is certainly undemocratic," the Republican Senator said when asked whether he believed that "Venezuela is becoming a dictatorship," according to an interview published on Monday by Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, as reported by AFP.

McCain said that he is concerned over the "rapid erosion of democracy in the institutions of a freely elected government in Venezuela." He added: "I feel sorry for Venezuelans."

"People in Venezuela are being deprived of their fundamental right to freedom in the pursuit of happiness, the right to choose their leaders and have their elected representatives to govern," said McCain.

He added that the eventual inclusion of Venezuela in the list of state sponsors of terrorism greatly depends on Chávez's behavior."

Source: ElUniversal.com