A senior US diplomat has rejected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s claim of victory in the July election and urged him to resign and allow a power transition, while threatening further sanctions if he fails to do so.

Francisco Palmieri, who leads the Venezuelan Affairs Unit at the US embassy in Colombia – as Washington has no diplomatic presence in Caracas – made the remarks on Wednesday in an interview with Venezuela’s El Nacional newspaper.

Palmieri argued that Maduro, who has led Venezuela since 2013, should recognise his rival Edmundo Gonzalez as the actual winner of the election before January 10, when the presidential inauguration ceremony is due to take place.

According to Venezuelan electoral authorities, Maduro defeated Gonzales in the July 28 presidential ballot. However, the opposition – along with most Western countries – have claimed the vote was rigged. 

“Is it the deadline for Maduro. If he stays, things will only get worse for Venezuela,” Palmieri told the paper.

“If he does not respect the will of Venezuelans, there will only be further deepening of the economic crisis, less international legitimacy, and the Venezuelan people will be increasingly frustrated in the face of a situation where the country will not be able to improve,” the US diplomat added.

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Washington will likely introduce new sanctions and continue to “individually punish” those associated with Maduro, Palmieri warned, adding that Caracas is bound to face “many problems internally and internationally” if Maduro remains in power.

In late July, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the presidential election with nearly 52% of the vote. The opposition has refused to recognize the result, citing tally sheets allegedly showing that Gonzales won by a large margin, with 67%.

The opposition claim has been supported by the US, the EU and a number of other countries. However, nations including Russia and China have recognised the official outcome and acknowledged Maduro as the re-elected president.

Gonzalez went into hiding following the polls, after being charged with multiple crimes including sabotage, conspiracy, and usurpation of public functions. The opposition figure was granted safe passage out of Venezuela in September despite having an outstanding arrest warrant, and fled to Spain.

Since then, Gonzalez has repeatedly pledged to return to Venezuela by January 10 to be sworn-in as president.

Speaking at a public event in Madrid on Monday, Gonzalez struck a defiant tone, saying: “You don’t go to war with fear, which is why I’m convinced I will somehow travel to Venezuela to take over.”