Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has issued a decree blocking access to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, for 10 days following a public dispute with owner Elon Musk.
The two have exchanged insults since Maduro was declared the winner of last month’s contested presidential election. Musk has labeled Maduro a “dictator” and a “clown,” while Maduro has accused Musk of inciting “hatred, fascism, [and] civil war.”
In recent weeks, anti-government protests have erupted over the election results, leading to the arrest of hundreds by Venezuela’s security forces.
The vote on July 28 has been criticized as “undemocratic” by independent observers, with the main opposition claiming that its candidate, Edmundo González, won by a significant margin.
Maduro has alleged that the National Electoral Council (CNE) was the victim of a “cyber coup” during the election and has accused Musk of orchestrating an “attack” on his re-election campaign.
The Carter Center, which observed the election at the Venezuelan government’s invitation, reported seeing “no evidence” of any cyberattack.
In a speech broadcast on state television Thursday night, Maduro announced that X would be “withdrawn from circulation” by the state telecommunications agency.
“Elon Musk is the owner of X and has violated all the rules,” he said.
“He has violated the rules by inciting hatred, fascism, civil war, death, confrontation of Venezuelans and has violated all Venezuelan laws.”
Ahead of the presidential election, Elon Musk expressed support for Venezuela’s main opposition on X, stating: “It is time for the people of Venezuela to have the chance for a better future.”
Following the election results, Musk alleged “major election fraud by Maduro” and wrote, “Shame on Dictator Maduro.” He also compared Maduro’s intelligence to that of a donkey and said, “The people of Venezuela have had enough of this clown.”
While the National Electoral Council (CNE) has declared Maduro the winner, the official vote tallies have not yet been released. Calls from the opposition for the release of the vote counts have been supported by the governments of Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.
The governments of the US, Argentina, Uruguay, and Ecuador have recognized Edmundo González as the true winner of the election.
The Carter Center’s assessment stated that the election “did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic.”
Venezuela’s Supreme Court has ordered all parties and candidates to submit their own vote tallies by Friday. Maduro has said he will attend the court session, but González has expressed concerns that attending would make him “totally vulnerable due to powerlessness and violation of due process.”
“I [would] put at risk not only my freedom but, more importantly, the will of the Venezuelan people,” he said.
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