Venezuelan president bans X for 10 days over Musk row

Venezuelan president bans X for 10 days over Musk row

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has issued a decree to block access to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, for 10 days following a public dispute with its owner, Elon Musk.

The disagreement between Maduro and Musk escalated after Maduro was declared the victor of last month’s contested presidential election. Musk has called Maduro a “dictator” and a “clown,” while Maduro has accused Musk of fueling “hatred, fascism, and civil war.”

Recent weeks have seen increased anti-government protests over the election results, with hundreds arrested by Venezuelan security forces. The vote on July 28 has been criticized as “undemocratic” by independent observers, and the main opposition claims evidence showing their candidate, Edmundo González, won by a significant margin.

Maduro has alleged that the National Electoral Council (CNE) was subjected to a “cyber coup” during the election and has accused Musk of orchestrating an “attack” on his re-election. However, the Carter Center, which monitored the election at the Venezuelan government’s request, found “no evidence” of a cyberattack.

In a state television address on Thursday night, Maduro announced that X would be “withdrawn from circulation” by Venezuela’s telecommunications agency. He stated, “Elon Musk is the owner of X and has breached all the rules by inciting hatred, fascism, civil war, death, and the confrontation of Venezuelans, thus violating all Venezuelan laws.”