The United States slammed Venezuelan regional elections on Monday, after President Nicolas Maduro's socialist party claimed a resounding victory in a poll marred by a lack of outside observers and alleged manipulation.

 

"We condemn the lack of free and fair elections yesterday in Venezuela. The voice of the Venezuelan people was not heard," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

 

"Our previously stated concerns were unfortunately realized: lack of independent, credible international observers; lack of technical audit for the National Electoral Council's (CNE) tabulation; last minute changes to polling station locations without public notice; manipulation of ballot layouts; and limited availability of voting machines in opposition neighborhoods."

 

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, also weighed in.

 

"An election is only legitimate if it is free and fair, and from the start, this was neither," she said. 

 

"There must be an audit of the electoral process. There must be respect for the will of the people."

 

Maduro's party won governorships in 17 of the 23 states, with the opposition Democratic Union Roundtable (MUD) coalition taking five and one state still undecided.

 

The opposition immediately rejected the results, which amounted to a crushing blow after they had characterized the elections as a referendum on Maduro following months of deadly street protests earlier this year that failed to unseat him.

 

International powers accuse Maduro of dismantling democracy by taking over state institutions in the wake of an economic collapse caused by a fall in the price of oil, its main source of revenue. 

 

Sunday's elections were the first contested by the opposition since the legislative vote in 2015 that gave it a majority in the National Assembly.