Sanders gets rare foreign endorsement from socialist Venezuelan president

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has endorsed fellow socialist Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., for president, calling him “our revolutionary friend.”

In a televised address on Tuesday, Maduro criticized the U.S. election system, which he called “archaic,” for putting Sanders at a disadvantage.

"If the elections were free,” Maduro said, “Bernie Sanders would be president of the United States."

Socialist Venezuela, which has been criticized for lack of transparency in elections, frequently denounces the U.S. government and accuses it of imperialism. The South American country is also prone to blaming its economic woes on Washington, and the two countries do not exchange ambassadors.

Venezuela teeters on the brink of collapse, with low global oil prices contributing to massive shortage of basic goods like flour and toilet paper. The government recently moved to a two-day work week for public employees in an effort to conserve electricity.

Maduro, who has publicly denounced President Barack Obama, said Sanders “ought to win in the United States.” The Vermont senator trails frontrunner Hillary Clinton and has little chance of amassing the delegates needed to receive the Democratic nomination.

Foreign leaders rarely step into the foray of American politics, generally demurring when asked which candidate they would prefer.

But Venezuela is not the only country to cross the typical boundary: On Tuesday, North Korean state media endorsed presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has said he’d be willing to meet with that country’s dictator, Kim Jong-un. The U.S. and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Sanders gets rare foreign endorsement from socialist Venezuelan president."