Venezuelan citizens wait in line at a polling station during a nationwide election for new governors in Caracas, Venezuela, October 15, 2017. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday condemned Venezuela’s weekend gubernatorial elections as neither free nor fair and vowed to use its economic and diplomatic power to support Venezuelans in restoring democracy in the oil-exporting nation.

“We condemn the lack of free and fair elections yesterday in Venezuela. The voice of the Venezuelan people was not heard,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

“As long as the (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro regime conducts itself as an authoritarian dictatorship, we will work with members of the international community and bring the full weight of American economic and diplomatic power to bear in support of the Venezuelan people as they seek to restore their democracy.”