On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro escalated tensions with the social media platform X and its owner Elon Musk by banning the platform in the country for 10 days. This move comes amid the ongoing controversy over a disputed presidential election.
Maduro announced that he signed a resolution from the regulator Conatel, which “has decided to suspend the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, for 10 days” and accused Musk of promoting hate, civil unrest, and violence.
In a televised speech, Maduro declared, “X, get out of Venezuela for 10 days!”
Maduro and Musk have had a history of exchanging insults, with Musk once comparing the Venezuelan president to a donkey, and Maduro blaming Musk for inciting protests and dissent following the election. They have also issued challenges to each other through comments on X and Venezuelan state television.
The temporary suspension of X is part of a broader crackdown on Big Tech by Maduro, who also 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.
While WhatsApp declined to comment, X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Venezuela’s electoral authority declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 presidential election with approximately 51% of the vote, though the official vote tallies have yet to be released. This announcement has sparked widespread allegations of fraud and protests, which have been widely shared on social media. According to the Venezuelan Observatory for Social Conflict, at least 23 people have died in these protests.
In the aftermath of the election, protests have erupted across Venezuela and among Venezuelan expatriates, demanding that Maduro step down and recognize the victory of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
The opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado and Gonzalez, claims to have copies of the vote tallies that show they won with over 7 million votes, compared to Maduro’s 3.3 million votes—a result consistent with independent exit polls.
Countries such as the US, Argentina, and Chile have refused to recognize Maduro’s declared 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 on what the authorities describe as violent criminals, with Maduro announcing more than 2,000 arrests. Advocacy groups, however, argue that these arrests target peaceful demonstrators as part of a broader repression effort.
Brian A. Nichols, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the US State Department, stated on X that “The voices of Venezuelan voters will not be silenced by repression, censorship, or disinformation. The world is watching.”
Earlier, the foreign ministers of Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil issued a joint statement reiterating their calls for Venezuela’s electoral authority to publish the vote tallies.
In related comments, Maria Corina Machado urged Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to encourage Maduro to engage in negotiations with the country’s opposition, describing it as his best option.
