Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro escalated tensions with social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, by banning it in the country for 10 days amidst a contentious presidential election. On Thursday, Maduro announced that he signed a resolution from the regulatory body Conatel, effectively removing X from circulation in Venezuela for 10 days. He accused Elon Musk, the platform’s owner, of inciting hate, civil war, and violence.
“X, get out of Venezuela for 10 days!” Maduro declared in a televised speech.
The Venezuelan leader and Musk have often exchanged insults, with Musk likening Maduro to a donkey, while Maduro has accused Musk of fueling protests and dissent following the disputed election. Both have even challenged each other to fights through comments on X and Venezuelan state television.
This temporary ban on X marks another strike against Big Tech, as Maduro recently urged his supporters to abandon WhatsApp, owned by Meta, in favor of Telegram or WeChat. He claimed that WhatsApp was being used to threaten the families of soldiers and police officers. WhatsApp declined to comment, and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Maduro was declared the winner of the July 28 presidential election by Venezuela’s electoral authority, with 51% of the vote, although the voting tallies have not yet been made public. The announcement led to widespread allegations of fraud and protests, which were amplified on social media. According to the Venezuelan Observatory for Social Conflict, at least 23 people have been killed in these protests.
In the days following the election, protests erupted across Venezuela and abroad, with demonstrators demanding that Maduro step down and recognize opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the rightful winner. The opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado and Gonzalez, claims to have copies of voting tallies showing that Gonzalez won with over 7 million votes, compared to Maduro’s 3.3 million. These figures align with predictions from independent exit polls.
Several countries, including the U.S., Argentina, and Chile, have refused to recognize Maduro’s claimed victory, calling instead for transparency and the release of the voting tallies. In contrast, China and Russia have congratulated Maduro on his win.
Venezuelan security forces have launched a crackdown, arresting over 2,000 people whom authorities label as violent criminals. However, advocacy groups argue that these individuals are peaceful demonstrators being targeted for repression.
“The voices of Venezuelan voters will not be silenced by repression, censorship, or disinformation. The world is watching,” Brian A. Nichols, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, stated in a post on X.
Earlier, the foreign ministers of Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil jointly urged Venezuela’s electoral authority to release the vote tallies. This call followed comments from Machado, who on Thursday urged Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to encourage Maduro to negotiate with the country’s opposition.
Source: Reuters
