Brazil orders Venezuela diplomat out

BRASILIA: Brazil today ordered the top diplomat at Venezuela's embassy, Gerardo Delgado, to leave the country, in retaliation for Caracas booting out the Brazilian ambassador.

"Brazil has decided to declare the Venezuelan charge d'affaires persona non grata," a Brazilian foreign ministry spokesman told AFP.

"In practice, this means he will have to leave the country. It is a swift measure," he said.

Venezuela announced on Saturday that Brazil's ambassador to Caracas, Ruy Pereira, was no longer welcome as it viewed the Brazilian government as illegitimate.

Caracas is opposed to conservative Brazilian President Michel Temer, who replaced impeached leftist president Dilma Rousseff last year. Temer's rise resulted in Venezuela-Brazil diplomatic ties being briefly frozen.

Venezuela on Saturday also ordered the Canadian charge d'affaires in Caracas to leave, prompting Ottawa on Monday to say Venezuela's ambassador and charge d'affaires must leave their posts.

Venezuela has been fiercely pushing back against growing international condemnation of President Nicolas Maduro's tightening hold on power.

Canada, the United States, Europe and most Latin American nations have denounced what they call the trampling of democracy and human rights in the once-rich South American nation, which is now on the brink of default.