State-owned Venezuelan media claims on X that the account was removed by the platform on Friday evening without any further explanation. YouTube's parent company Google has not yet commented on the matter.
The YouTube account had over 200,000 followers before it disappeared and published clips from the president's speeches as well as his appearances on state TV.
The removal of the account comes at the same time as the tense situation between the US and Venezuela is escalating. Venezuela has accused the US of waging an "undeclared war" in the Caribbean and urged the UN to investigate the US, which has killed over a dozen alleged drug smugglers on boats in recent weeks. Washington has also sent warships to international waters off the coast of Venezuela, supported by F-35 fighter jets, in the largest American naval operation in the Caribbean in decades.
On its website, YouTube states that it removes accounts that repeatedly violate their rules, such as publishing misinformation, incitement against ethnic groups, and content that "violates democratic processes".
Maduro has been accused of electoral fraud in Venezuela's latest presidential election in July 2024. Among others, the EU, the US, and the UN have expressed doubts about his victory, citing that election data has not been fully disclosed.
