Venezuela has told the Netherlands that it may only have three diplomatic representatives at the embassy in Caracas, following Dutch criticism of the re-election of president Nicolás Maduro for a third term.

The Netherlands currently has six diplomats in the country, including the ambassador, but three of them will now be sent home. Similar measures have been taken against France and Italy.

In addition, Dutch diplomats must apply for written permission to travel further than 40 kilometres from Caracas, news website Nu.nl reported.

Last September, it transpired that the Netherlands provided shelter in the embassy for opposition leader Edmundo González, the presumed winner of the presidential vote.

In addition, the three countries had all criticised the results of the election and said that the vote had not proceeded fairly. The electoral council has still not published the final results.

Foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp has called on Venezuela’s representative in the Netherlands to explain and has said that this new development is only escalating an already complicated situation.

“We are preparing to retaliate, together with our EU partners,” he said. “We regret this move and will work out what it means for our relationship together with our EU partners.”

There could be complications for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, which are close to the Venezuelan coast. Curaçao, in particular, is an important trading partner.