The Biden administration said on Monday that election manipulation rendered Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's re-election claims "completely uncredible," and Washington remains open to imposing new sanctions on the OPEC nation.
Senior U.S. officials briefed reporters on Washington's response to the controversial election results following Sunday's vote. Venezuelan electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner of a third term, extending the Socialist Party's 25-year rule.
Independent exit polls showed the opposition winning by an overwhelming margin.
The U.S. and several other governments questioned the official vote count. Maduro's opposition rival, Edmundo González, claimed he was the legitimate winner.
Speaking anonymously, U.S. officials intensified Biden's senior aides' public demands for Maduro to release detailed vote counts, stating that without such transparency, the international community would be reluctant to accept the announced election results.
The officials did not announce any new punitive measures but said Washington would evaluate its sanctions policy against Venezuela based on Maduro's future actions.
"We are facing a potentially new situation," one official said. "We will consider this as we formulate our sanctions policy on Venezuela."
