Washington, July 30: Add Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to the growing list of foreign leaders with whom tech billionaire Elon Musk has picked a fight. Following the results of Venezuela's presidential election, in which Maduro and his opponents each claimed victory, the owner of X took to the social media platform to accuse the self-proclaimed socialist leader of “major election fraud.”

“Shame on Dictator Maduro,” Musk said Monday. Maduro in turn trashed Musk as “the archenemy of Venezuela's peace.” Officials delayed the release of detailed vote tallies from Sunday's election after proclaiming Maduro the winner with 51 per cent of the vote, compared with 44 per cent for retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez. The competing claims set up a high-stakes standoff. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Calls Elon Musk His ‘Arch-Enemy’, Accuses Him of Planning To Invade Venezuela With Rockets (Watch Video).

Elon Musk Responds to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Saying 'The donkey knows more than Maduro'

Elon Musk Calls Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a 'Dictator'

After failing to oust Maduro during three rounds of demonstrations since 2014, the opposition put its faith in the ballot box. The elections were among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule.

Musk also retweeted a comment on X by his “friend” Argentine President Javier Milei. “The numbers announced a landslide opposition by the victory and the world is waiting for the government to acknowledge defeat after years of socialism, misery, decadence and death,” Milei said.

Maduro was swift to respond to Musk's social media posts, calling the billionaire a threat to Venezuela. “He is the representation of the fascist ideology, anti-natural, anti-society,” Maduro said. “Elon Musk is desperate, control yourself,” he warned. “Whoever gets involved with me dries out.” Elon Musk Alleges ‘Major Election Fraud by Maduro’ After Candidates Allegedly Get More Than 100% Votes in Venezuela Election Results 2024 (See Pic).

This is not Musk's first confrontation with foreign governments. Earlier this year, the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” clashed with a Brazilian supreme court justice over free speech, far-right accounts and purported misinformation on X, formerly Twitter. Musk bought Twitter back in 2022, upending many of the social platform's policies and laying off the majority of its workforce. As for Venezuela's election, leaders around the world also expressed concerns over the results, many calling for transparency in the vote count.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)