Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro takes a selfie next to his wife Cilia Flores as they arrive for a rally with workers of transport sector in Caracas, Venezuela January 24, 2018. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The move to hold new presidential elections in Venezuela will completely undermine the country’s democratic constitutional order and the results will not be accepted as legitimate, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Thursday.

The official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the possibility of new U.S. economic sanctions against Venezuela was always under consideration in response to the situation in the country.