Maduro suspends access to X in Venezuela after Musk spat

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he is suspending access to the social media platform X for 10 days after clashing with owner Elon Musk over the country’s disputed presidential election.

Maduro said he had signed a resolution “with the proposal made by CONATEL, the National Telecommunications Commission, which has decided to remove the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, from circulation in Venezuela for 10 days so that they can present their documents.”

“Elon Musk is the owner of X and has violated all the rules,” he said in a speech Thursday. “He has violated the rules by inciting hatred, fascism, civil war, death, confrontation of Venezuelans and has violated all Venezuelan laws.”

The suspension of the social media platform comes after the Venezuelan president sparred with Musk over the results of Venezuela’s July 28 election, which is widely believed to have been fraudulent. 

The Tesla executive accused Maduro of committing “major election fraud” and wrote, “Shame on Dictator Maduro,” in a post on X last week.

Maduro responded by labeling Musk “the archenemy of Venezuela’s peace” and a “representation of fascism and the extreme right.”

Venezuela’s electoral council has declared Maduro the winner of the election, but it has not yet released the official voting tallies.

Multiple analyses of vote tally sheets collected by Venezuela’s opposition suggest Maduro’s challenger, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, won by a large margin. The United States has recognized Gonzalez as the winner.

Maduro’s regime has cracked down on protesters demanding transparency from Venezuela’s government. The authoritarian leader says his security forces have arrested more than 2,000 people since his disputed victory last month.