Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro escalated his conflict with the social media platform X and its owner, Elon Musk, by announcing a 10-day suspension of the platform in Venezuela. This move came amid escalating tensions over a contested presidential election. Maduro, following a resolution from the telecommunications regulator Conatel, stated that X, formerly known as Twitter, would be banned in Venezuela for 10 days. He accused Musk of fostering hate, civil unrest, and violence. In a televised address, Maduro declared, “X, get out of Venezuela for 10 days!” This is the latest development in a series of public exchanges between Maduro and Musk. Their feud has seen Musk liken the Venezuelan leader to a donkey, while Maduro has blamed Musk for fueling protests and dissent related to the election results. Both figures have also challenged each other to physical confrontations in comments on X and on Venezuelan state TV.
The controversy began after Venezuela’s electoral authority announced Maduro as the winner of the July 28 election with approximately 51% of the vote, although official vote counts have yet to be released. This announcement triggered widespread allegations of fraud and led to protests that were amplified on social media. According to the Venezuelan Observatory for Social Conflict, at least 23 people have died in the ensuing unrest. Following the election, protests erupted both domestically and internationally, with demands for Maduro to resign and recognition of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez’s victory.
Opposition leaders, including María Corina Machado and Gonzalez, claim to have evidence showing that Gonzalez won with over 7 million votes compared to Maduro's 3.3 million, a result that aligns with independent exit polls. While the U.S., Argentina, and Chile have questioned the legitimacy of Maduro's victory and called for transparency, China and Russia have extended their congratulations to him.