Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has enforced a 10-day ban on Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly Twitter, amid escalating tensions over election results.
What Happened: Maduro has accused Musk of stirring up hatred and civil discord following a contentious presidential election. On Thursday, he signed a decree proposed by regulator Conatel, effectively suspending X in the nation, reported Reuters.
"X get out of Venezuela for 10 days!" Maduro said during a speech broadcast on state television.
After the July 28 presidential election, Maduro was announced the victor with 51% of the vote, a result that ignited widespread allegations of fraud and protests propagated on social media.
The opposition, spearheaded by Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, asserts to have copies of the voting tallies indicating their victory in the election.
Several nations, including the U.S., Argentina, and Chile, have declined to acknowledge Maduro's claimed victory, demanding transparency and the release of the voting tallies. In contrast, China and Russia have extended their congratulations to Maduro on his win.
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Why It Matters: This ban on X is perceived as another assault on big tech by Maduro, who earlier this week urged his followers to transition from Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)-owned WhatsApp to Telegram or WeChat, the report noted.
Meanwhile, the ban on Musk's X comes after a series of heated exchanges between Maduro and the tech mogul following the disputed election results. The Venezuelan President previously challenged Musk to a fight after the latter accused him of "major election fraud."
The feud escalated further when Musk proposed a unique wager to Maduro: "If I win, he resigns ... If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars," the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said.
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