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Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro has temporarily banned the social media platform X.

What’s the deal: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered a 10-day ban on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) in response to widespread accusations of electoral fraud following his controversial victory in the July 28 election.

What Maduro said: When making the announcement, Maduro said, “Elon Musk is the owner of X and has violated all the rules of the social network itself.” He added that Musk incited “hate and fascism” after he criticized Maduro for pulling off the “greatest electoral fraud” in history.

Digging Deeper: The July 28 election in Venezuela has sparked intense controversy, with President Nicolas Maduro declared the winner at 51.2% of the vote. Both the opposition and international observers dispute this result. Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who led in pre-election polls, officially received 44.2%, but the opposition claims they won by a significant margin, citing vote tallies that show Gonzalez’s victory. The disputed results have led to widespread protests in Venezuela and abroad, with accusations that Maduro manipulated the election to stay in power. The National Electoral Council’s delay in releasing detailed vote counts has further fueled unrest.

International reaction: The international reaction to Venezuela’s disputed election has been divided. The United States, Argentina, and Chile have refused to recognize President Nicolas Maduro’s victory, demanding transparency and the release of vote tallies to validate the results. On the other hand, Maduro’s allies, including China and Russia, have congratulated him, signaling their acceptance of the election outcome and support for his continued leadership.