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CARACAS. – President Nicolás Maduro’s government has declared the German ambassador persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 48 hours as Venezuela’s political crisis intensified on Wednesday.

The decision to expel Daniel Kriener – who has been based in Caracas since last year – was announced on Twitter by Venezuela’s foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza.

Arreaza said the decision was based on Daniel Kriener’s “repeated acts of interference in the country’s internal affairs”.

In a statement, President Maduro’s administration accused Kriener and the German government – which was among those to recognise Maduro’s rival Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader last month – of “crass” and “unlawful” meddling in Venezuelan affairs.

“As a result, Mr Kriener is given a deadline of 48 hours to leave the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” the statement added.

The German foreign office said: “We can confirm that ambassador Daniel Kriener has been declared ‘persona non grata’. We are currently in deliberations on further steps, including with our partners on the ground.”

Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, condemned what he called “an incomprehensible decision” that would further aggravate the situation in Venezuela. Maas said he was recalling the ambassador “for consultations” and that Germany would continue to support Guaidó.

Kriener (58), was among a group of foreign diplomats who travelled to Venezuela’s main international airport on Monday to greet Guaidó, as he returned to the country following a tour of South America.

“We believe that at this moment we can help for there to be a negotiated political settlement to the crisis here in Venezuela,” he told reporters at the Simón Bolívar airport to the north of Caracas.

Friction between President Maduro and European diplomats has been growing since January 10 when Caracas-based ambassadors, including Kriener and his British counterpart, Andrew Soper, boycotted the inauguration ceremony for President Maduro’s disputed second term.

Tensions intensified last month when European countries including the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden and Denmark officially recognised Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. – The Guardian