Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks to his supporters outside the headquarters of the National Electoral Council (CNE) after formalizing his candidacy before the Venezuelan electoral authority in Caracas on March 25, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

CARACAS - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday warned against new threats from the United States.

"The US empire chose Good Friday to threaten Venezuela once again," said Maduro on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"They threaten to drive the nails of sanctions, blockade, economic aggression against... our country," he said. "The empire, in its arrogance, believing itself to be the owner of the world, believes it owns our people."

The US government released a statement on Wednesday expressing concerns about the electoral process in the South American nation, a position criticized by Caracas as the US attempts to "discount and delegitimize" the results of Venezuela's upcoming presidential elections.

On March 21, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance, and Development (VERDAD) Reauthorization Act aimed at extending unilateral coercive measures against the South American country.