Berlin - Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, whose Latin-pop song "Despacito" has become a chart hit, have lashed out at Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for politically instrumentalizing the song.
"My music is not made for those who use it as propaganda," Fonsi wrote late Monday on his official Facebook page.
Maduro, who is facing a nationwide revolt against his rule, released an altered version of the summer hit on Sunday, in which he appealed to Venezuelans to vote for controversial constitutional reforms.
Fonsi accused the socialist leader of trying to manipulate public opinion.
The 39-year-old musician said he was not consulted by Maduro and that he had not given his permission for the song's use.
Maduro has called for a vote on July 30 to elect a special assembly that is to draft a new constitution. The opposition charges that Maduro seeks to use a new constitution to cement his power in what they call a "dictatorship."