Caracas, October 20, 2016 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez blasted as “abhorrent and inexcusable” a recent television commercial released by the Democratic Party Monday comparing US Republican contender Donald Trump to late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

Paid for by the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the one-minute advertisement features a series of juxtaposed video clips of Trump and President Chávez, concluding with the statement, “Let’s protect democracy in our country. Don’t vote for Trump.”

The commercial, which was broadcast initially in Florida, also contains statements by former Mexican President Vicente Fox, who claims, “The DNA of Trump is that of a would-be dictator, like Chávez, Fidel Castro, Benito Mussolini, and Hitler.”

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Rodriguez demanded that the Democratic Party show “respect for the memory” of the late president.

“Commander Chávez transcended our era in his democratic talents, his militancy on behalf of the poor, and his universal sense of humanity,” she declared.

The foreign minister suggested that the incident testifies to the bankrupt state of US democracy.

“The electoral campaign in the US reflects the deep political, ethical, and moral crisis of a corroded system that has turned its back to the people,” she added.

The 2016 US presidential campaign has broken records with both Clinton and Trump sporting approval ratings lower than any major party presidential candidate in decades.

The commercial is not the first time that the Clinton campaign has set its sights on Venezuela’s leftist government.

Last year, the Democratic presidential contender accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of plotting to “rig” the country’s December 6 legislative elections just days before the poll that saw the opposition triumph in a landslide that was immediately recognized by the Chavista leader.