Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro speaks to the media during an event to sign an agreement to recognize the results of the July 28 presidential election, held by the National Electoral Commission in Caracas, Venezuela, June 20, 2024.
Miraflores Palace | Reuters
Controversial Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has ordered a 10-day ban on social networking site X, cutting off locals’ access to the platform after a dispute with others Musk.
In a speech translated by CNBC on Thursday, Maduro said he signed a decree ordering Venezuela’s telecommunications regulator to block X because the company’s owner Musk “violated the terms of the social network Twitter, known today as All the rules – all the rules he violated, incited hatred, fascism, civil war, death and confrontation between Venezuelans, violated all Venezuelan laws… We will.
Maduro added that Venezuela’s National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) would “suspend X social network (formerly known as Twitter) from circulation in Venezuela for 10 days” to allow X to respond.
Internet monitoring company NetBlocks confirmed that X is now restricted in Venezuela under Maduro’s orders.
According to a NetBlocks post on X, several ISPs in the country were shown cutting off access to the site, with some showing zero reachability and others showing limited access.
Musk has engaged in a war of words with Maduro, who claims he won a third six-year term in disputed election results.
“Shame on dictator Maduro,” Musk wrote in a post on
In this regard, Maduro Challenge the tech billionaire and fight himtold national television: “Elon Musk, I’m ready. I’m not afraid of you… Let’s fight wherever you want to go.”
Replying to X’s post, which included a snippet of Maduro’s comments, Musk said: “I accept that.”
Venezuela has been rocked by protests since its 2024 presidential election on July 28, marred by accusations of misconduct and electoral fraud.
Maduro’s government has suppressed the protests and deployed riot police to quell the unrest.
Both Maduro and his opponent Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia claimed victory in the election, with national electoral authorities declaring Maduro won 51% of the vote.
However, Washington and other foreign governments expressed doubts about the official results. America, back in April Reimpose sanctions on Venezuela González was recognized as the winner of the disputed July vote in an effort to pressure Maduro’s government over electoral issues.
