Democratic presidential candidate Sen.Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally on May 10 in Stockton, California. | Getty Venezuela's Maduro: Sanders would win if U.S. elections were free and fair

Bernie Sanders could become the 45th president of the United States if American elections were “free” and “fair,” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said in a televised appearance on Tuesday.

During the TV show that aired Tuesday, Maduro called the Vermont senator “our revolutionary friend” and slammed the “archaic” U.S. electoral system that makes it possible for someone like real estate mogul Donald Trump to become president.


“Donald Trump can win with the American electoral system. And do you know why?” Maduro asked, according to a CNN Español report published on Wednesday. “Because Donald Trump is using strong, hidden forces of change in American society.”

Maduro voiced support for Sanders in March, calling him “an emerging candidate with a restorative and revolutionary message.”

The Venezuelan leader, a protegé of the late Hugo Chavez, faces an outpouring of domestic unrest amid his country's economic collapse. The opposition is pushing a recall petition, calling for Maduro's ouster, the fate of which will be made clear on Thursday.

Gabriel Debenedetti contributed a translation from the original Spanish.