CARACAS: The US Department of State spokeswoman has called Venezuelan elections illegitimate.
In a Twitter post Heather Nauert also said that the US supports “free and fair elections.”
“Venezuela’s so-called elections today are not legitimate. The United States stands with democratic nations around the world in support of the Venezuelan people and their sovereign right to elect their representatives through free and fair elections,” she wrote.
Sunday’s election has drawn broad criticism since some of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s most-popular rivals were barred from running, and several more were forced into exile.
Echoing the views of Venezuela’s tattered opposition movement, the US, European Union and many Latin American countries have already said they won’t recognize the results.