Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced Thursday that he had ordered a 10-day block on access in Venezuela to X, formerly known as Twitter, a social network that he has accused of being used by his opponents to create unrest after the presidential election.
At night, posts stopped loading in Caracas on the two private telephone operators and the state-owned Movilnet, journalists from The Associated Press found.
In a speech after the march of grassroots organizations of the government, Maduro said: “Elon Musk is the owner of X and has violated all the rules of the social network itself.”
Maduro also said that he signed an administrative act “with the proposal made by CONATEL, the National Telecommunications Commission, who 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,” the president said without giving details about the process before the telecommunications regulatory body in Venezuela. "10 days to present the receipts and 10 days to take the final measure," Maduro added.
X’s press office did not immediately respond to an email from AP seeking comment on the Venezuelan authorities' decision.
“X out for 10 days! Elon Musk out!” Maduro exclaimed to the public.
The president’s decision comes after Maduro and Musk —owner of X— exchanged mutual accusations on the social network and after several opposition actors and citizens used this platform to question the transparency of the July 28 elections, of which both Maduro and his opponents declared themselves winners.
Musk used the social network to accuse the self-proclaimed socialist leader of a “great electoral fraud.”
“Shame on the dictator Maduro,” Musk said on Monday in a post.
In response to those comments, Maduro lashed out at Musk, saying he was an “archenemy of peace in Venezuela.”
Since the presidential elections, the president has also expressed the need to “regulate” social media in the country.
Maduro also denounced that the application is used by his adversaries to threaten the families of his followers and political allies, the military, and the police, and to create anxiety among Venezuelans.
Maduro, who was seeking re-election for a third six-year term, was declared the winner by the National Electoral Council (CNE), a collegiate body with a pro-government majority.
The opposition claimed to have at least 84% of the voting table records in its possession, which, according to its defense, give the victory to the opposition candidate González.