The dispute with the social media platform’s owner, Elon Musk, escalates after Maduro was declared the winner of last month’s elections.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered a 10-day ban on social media platform X amid uproar in the country over a disputed election.
Accusing X owner Elon Musk of “inciting hatred and fascism,” Maduro said on Thursday that he signed a resolution presented by telecommunications regulator Conatel that “decided to take the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, out of circulation.” , for 10 days.”
“Elon Musk is the owner of X and has violated all the rules of the social network itself,” said Maduro after a march by pro-government groups.
“X get out of Venezuela for 10 days!” he said in a speech that was broadcast on state television.
Electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 elections with 51.2% of the vote, but have not yet released detailed results. He said opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who was leading in opinion polls, polled 44.2 percent.
The announcement sparked widespread accusations of fraud that also spread across social media. Protests by Venezuelans across the country and abroad erupted demanding that Maduro step down and honor Gonzalez’s victory.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico asked the National Electoral Council (CNE) on Thursday to publish the vote count.
The opposition says it won in a landslide and warned on Thursday of a potential mass exodus if Maduro is allowed to remain in power.
Maduro and Musk frequently exchanged accusations and barbs, with the billionaire comparing the president to a donkey. They also offered and accepted challenges to fight each other in comments on X and Venezuelan state television.
Musk used the social network to accuse the leader of “massive electoral fraud”, also writing in a post on Monday: “Shame on the dictator Maduro”.
Maduro criticized Musk for being a driving force behind protests and dissent following the elections.
This week, Maduro also called on supporters to abandon Meta-owned WhatsApp in favor of Telegram or WeChat, saying the messaging app was being used to threaten the families of soldiers and police officers.
The opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado and Gonzalez, claims to have copies of tallies that show it won the election with more than 7 million votes, compared to Maduro’s 3.3 million votes.
Countries such as the United States, Argentina and Chile have refused to recognize Maduro’s alleged victory, calling instead for transparency and the publication of voting results. China and Russia congratulated Maduro on his victory.
“The voices of Venezuelan voters will not be silenced by repression, censorship or disinformation. The world is watching,” said Brian A Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs at the US Department of State, in a post on X.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
