Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has ordered a 10-day ban on social media platform X amid an uproar in the country over a disputed election.
Accusing X owner Elon Musk of “inciting hate and fascism”, Maduro said he signed a resolution presented by telecommunications regulator Conatel which “has decided to take social network X, formerly known as Twitter, out of circulation for 10 days”.
“X get out of Venezuela for 10 days!” he said in a speech that was broadcast on state television.
Election authorities declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election with 51.2 % of votes but have yet to release detailed results. It said opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who had been leading in opinion polls, got 44.2 %.
The announcement led to widespread accusations of fraud which also spread across social media. Protests from Venezuelans nationwide and abroad broke out demanding Maduro step down and honor a win by Gonzalez.
Musk used the social network to accuse the leader of a “great electoral fraud”, also writing in a post: “Shame on the dictator Maduro”.
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