Venezuela's President suspends X access for 10 days: Here's why
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has issued a decree to temporarily suspend access to X, previously known as Twitter, for a period of 10 days. This move comes in the wake of a public disagreement with Elon Musk, the owner of the platform. The conflict between Maduro and Musk began following Venezuela's presidential election last month, which saw Maduro emerge victorious amid widespread criticism.
Maduro and Musk's war of words intensifies
The verbal clash between Maduro and Musk has escalated, with Musk publicly branding Maduro as a "dictator" and a "clown." In response, Maduro has accused Musk of promoting "hatred, fascism, [and] civil war." This exchange comes against the backdrop of growing anti-government protests over the election results in Venezuela. These demonstrations have led to numerous arrests by Venezuelan security forces.
Maduro alleges 'cyber coup' in election
The July 28 election has faced criticism from independent observers and the main opposition, who claim their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won by a significant margin. Maduro has countered these allegations by suggesting that Venezuela's electoral authority, the National Electoral Council (CNE), was targeted in a "cyber coup" during the election. He further accused Musk of leading an "attack" on his re-election campaign.
Carter Center finds 'no evidence' of cyberattack
The Carter Center, which was invited by the Venezuelan government to observe the election, has stated that it found "no evidence" of any cyberattack. Despite this, Maduro announced on state television that X would be "withdrawn from circulation" by the state telecommunications agency. He accused Musk of violating all rules and Venezuelan laws through his posts on X.
Musk's support for opposition and post-election remarks
Prior to the presidential election, Musk had expressed support for the opposition on X saying, "It is time for the people of Venezuela to have the chance for a better future." After the election results were announced, he claimed there had been "major election fraud by Maduro" and wrote, "Shame on Dictator Maduro." He also compared Maduro's intelligence to that of a donkey and stated "the people of Venezuela have had enough of this clown."
International response to Venezuela's election results
While the CNE has declared Maduro the winner, it has not yet released the official vote tallies. Calls for the release of these tallies have been made by the governments of Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Meanwhile, the governments of the US, Uruguay, Argentina, and Ecuador have recognized Gonzalez as the election winner. The Carter Center's assessment stated that the election "did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic."
