Early on Monday morning, the head of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council Elvis Amoroso sparked an international backlash by declaring President Nicolás Maduro as the winner of Sunday’s election.

The council claimed that the government had received 51 percent of the vote, while Edmundo González Urrutia of the opposition alliance had polled 44 percent. The opposition rejects this interpretation of events, releasing a statement saying that González won as much as 70 percent.

Venezuela now faces a period of turmoil as the Maduro administration seeks to cement its hold on power and the opposition lobbies the international community for support.

Vice President Kamala Harris issued a considered response to the result, posting on social media that “the will of the Venezuelan people must be respected” while committing the United States “to work toward a more democratic, prosperous, and secure future for the people of Venezuela.”

The vice president’s comments are an indication that the Biden administration —........

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