Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro banned social media platform X in the country for 10 days amid uproar over the disputed presidential election.
Maduro said on Thursday he signed a resolution submitted by regulator Conatel that “has decided to take social network X, formerly known as Twitter, out of circulation for 10 days.” He also accused X owner Elon Musk of inciting hatred, civil war, and death.
X get out of Venezuela for 10 days!
Musk compared Venezuela’s president to a donkey, while Maduro accused Musk of being the driving force behind post-election protests and dissent. They have also offered and accepted challenges to fight each other in comments on X and through Venezuela’s state television.
The temporary ban on X represents another blow to big tech companies after Maduro urged supporters to abandon Meta-owned WhatsApp in favour of Telegram or WeChat this week.
Venezuela’s electoral commission declared Maduro the winner of the 28 July presidential election. The president won about 51 per cent of the vote, although he has yet to submit the election results. However, in the days after the vote, Venezuelans across the country and abroad began protesting, demanding Maduro’s resignation and honouring the victory of opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.
The opposition, headed by Maria Corina Machado and González, claims to have copies of voting protocols showing González won the election with more than 7 million votes, compared to 3.3 million for Maduro.
The declaration sparked widespread accusations of fraud and protests promoted on social media. Local human rights group Venezuelan Observatory for Social Conflict reports that at least 23 people have been killed in protests.
Countries including the US, Argentina, and Chile, as well as the EU, declined to recognise Maduro’s victory, calling for transparency and publication of the vote tallies instead. China and Russia congratulated Maduro on his victory.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan security forces launched a crackdown on those labelled by authorities as violent criminals, with Maduro claiming more than 2,000 arrests. Human rights groups argue that those arrested are peaceful protesters facing repression.
