Social networks stand as one of the most used channels in modern campaigns. During a heated election period, the candidate from Unides Podem, one of the Generalitat’s contenders, and his party launch messages, highlight gains, and seek support. Yet, a week before the ballot, Héctor Illueca discovers that his Twitter account has been blocked.
As the second vice president of Consell and the person in charge of housing policy for the Valencian administration, Illueca cannot log into his Twitter account. People close to the leader of the purple alliance report that when attempting to sign in, a notice appears stating that the account is blocked. The profile remains visible, but no activity is possible.
Image of Héctor Illueca’s Twitter profile and deleted tweet. LIFT-EMV
The blocking reason, according to the message sent by Twitter, is a violation of rules against posting private videos or photos, with a reference to a Saturday tweet about a Buñol visit with purple candidates. The tweet in question stated, “I was speaking with various associations, organizations and neighbors in Requena, Utiel and Buñol today. The interior regions are unanimous: renewable energy should be deployed to protect our region. Energy transition yes, but not at all costs.” The accompanying image was attached to that post.
Pilar Lima weighs legal action against “El Hormiguero” after comments by Pablo Motos and Miguel Lago
Twenty hours later, Illueca’s profile shows two deleted tweet notifications, and the candidate cannot access the account to post campaign messages during the decisive phase. People around the candidate take the incident seriously, noting its impact on both the candidate’s activities and the campaign’s normal course. In recent days, Unides Podem has faced questions about crossing the 5% threshold to secure entry into Corts and to influence the formation of a new Botany coalition.
The government has also directed inspections toward then insults toward Pilar Lima, referring the matter to the prosecutor’s office in relation to content featured on El Hormiguero. The Illueca case is not the only one in this election season. Similar issues affected Pilar Lima, the candidate for What We Can Do in Valencia, who also had her Twitter account blocked. After the El Hormiguero controversy, Lima released a video addressing Pablo Motos for jokes about being described as a “deaf and lesbian” candidate.