A senior US diplomat has made a bold demand that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should step down and let a new leader take over after the controversial July election. Francisco Palmieri, the head of the Venezuelan Affairs Unit at the US embassy in Colombia, says Maduro must recognize his opponent Edmundo González as the real winner of the election before January 10. If he doesn’t, Palmieri warns that even harsher sanctions will be placed on Venezuela.

Palmieri’s comments come after ...