VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLÁS Maduro has blocked his country’s access to X for ten days while accusing CEO Elon Musk of using the platform to promote hatred.

The two men have traded blows since Maduro was declared the winner of the country’s disputed presidential election, held on 28 July.

The European Union is among a number of western allies to voice “great concern” over the results of the election.

Journalists in Caracas found that by Thursday night, posts had stopped loading on X, formerly known as Twitter, on two private telephone services and state-owned Movilnet.

The block follows descriptions by Musk on the social media platform that described the Venezuelan leader as a “dictator” and a “clown”.

In a speech to pro-government groups, Maduro said: “Elon Musk is the owner of X and has violated all the rules of the social network itself.”

He added that Musk “has incited hatred” with his comments.

The Venezuelan leader also accused his opponents of using X to cause political unrest in the wake of his re-election.

Addressing pro-government crowds, who had gathered in Caracas to march on behalf of the president, Maduro said he had signed a resolution “with the proposal made by Conatel, the National Telecommunications Commission, which has decided to remove the social network X from circulation in Venezuela for 10 days so that they can present their documents.”

He added: “X out for 10 days! Elon Musk out!”

The Venezuelan leader did not provide further detail about the processes the telecommunications commission had taken against X.

Online spat

Maduro’s announcement came after he and Musk had exchanged heated accusations online about the 28 July poll.

Musk accused the self-proclaimed socialist leader of “great electoral fraud” in a post on X, adding: “Shame on the dictator Maduro.”

The two have been embroiled in an online spat in recent weeks, with Maduro challenging Musk to a fistfight in a public address.

On 31 July, the Tesla CEO accepted the Venezuelan leader’s challenge.

“I accept,” Musk tweeted in response, before adding in a reply to another user on X: “He will chicken out.”

Since the election, Maduro has expressed the need to “regulate” social networks in Venezuela.

Electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner of the election, but have yet to produce voting tallies.

Meanwhile, the opposition claims to have collected records from more than 80% of the 30,000 electronic voting machines nationwide showing the winner was their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez.

Protests sparked last week by the declaration of Maduro’s victory left at least 24 people dead, according to rights groups, with thousands also arrested.

According to the United Nations, more than seven million Venezuelans have fled the country of 30 million since Maduro took over in 2013, mostly to other Latin American countries and the United States.

Maduro has overseen an unprecedented economic crisis, including an 80% drop in the once-wealthy oil-rich country’s GDP, amid domestic economic mismanagement and international sanctions.

Washington has spearheaded sanctions against the Maduro regime. On Thursday, the US threatened that further measures would be taken if Maduro were to arrest Edmundo Gonzalez or Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader who was barred from running in the election.

With reporting from Press Association