Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in the capital Sunday to mark the 53rd anniversary of Venezuela's democracy. The throngs came from supporters of President Hugo Chavez and the opposition and offered different versions of what it is that rules Venezuela.

Chavez backers say democracy is thriving in Venezuela but it's misunderstood by detractors at home and abroad. The critics who celebrated the arrival of democracy in Venezuela all that long ago say their cherished idea is under threat from Chavez.

Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522, whose forces crushed all indigenous resistance. It was the first Spanish American colony to declare independence but soon sank under the weight of dictators and overlords. It emerged under democratic rule in 1945, sank again into authoritarianism but bounced back as a democracy in 1958.

This week's celebrations marked that milestone even as critics said the Chavez administration signaled a reversal of earlier gains. On Jan. 23, 1958, Venezuelans overthrew Gen. Marcos Perez Jimenez, the last of the dictators.

Economic disarray in a country awash with natural resources, a major oil exporter, has fueled discontent over the Chavez style, democratic or not. Venezuela is in recession for the past two years, unusual for a nation pumping millions of barrels of crude oil annually.

Venezuela's oil output and export figures are contested by both independent industry sources and the opposition.

"In a country where dissidence is constantly attacked, there's no true democracy," said Virginia Zamora, who helped organize the anti-Chavez rally, MercoPress reported.

Chavez supporters staged their own rallies to defend their leader and challenge critics' claims Chavez is becoming more authoritarian. Supporters who benefited from state subsidies were in the forefront of pro-Chavez rallies that were televised.

Chavez in a speech declared that he and his allies have repeatedly defeated opposition candidates at the polls for more than a decade.

"They accuse me of being a dictator," he said. "They must be crazy."

The president didn't dwell on recent election losses that threaten his chances of winning the next term as president in 2012.

Chavez has said he hopes to win re-election and govern to 2019, when he would turn 65.

Anti-Chavez protests took place in several cities outside Venezuela, including Miami, Madrid and Bogota, Colombia.

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