El Salvador has ordered the expulsion of all Venezuelan diplomats from the Central American country, the authorities announced Sunday.

El Salvador recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president until free elections were held in the country, the government said in a statement.

"The government of El Salvador expels the diplomatic corps from the regime of Nicolas Maduro," Bukele said in a statement posted his Twitter account late Saturday.

U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson reacted warmly to the decision. "We applaud the government of President Nayib Bukele for ensuring that El Salvador is on the right side of history," he said on Twitter. 

It gives 48 hours to the entire diplomatic corps of the Venezuelan government to leave the country, the statement added.

(With input from Xinhua, AFP)