WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, released the following statement Monday following the Venezuelan election:

“The illegitimate election Nicolas Maduro engineered over the weekend is the clearest sign yet that he lacks both the true will of the Venezuelan people and legitimacy in the international community. Under his brutal dictatorship, democratic governance, public health and safety, and the rule of law in Venezuela have crumbled. The longer Maduro remains in office, the more the Venezuelan people will suffer – and they have suffered long enough. The United States must work with our regional partners and the Organization of American States to immediately develop and implement a political strategy that guarantees humanitarian relief for all Venezuelans in need and puts Venezuela back on a path to stability and democracy.”