Within the referendum, Venezuelan voters have been requested whether or not they help the creation of a state in Essequibo.
Venezuela has claimed it has sturdy public help for taking on an oil-rich area throughout the border in Guyana.
The referendum consequence, introduced on Monday, got here after the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice (ICJ) warned Caracas towards “annexation” of the territory known as Essequibo, lengthy dominated by Guyana.
“It has been a complete success for our nation, for our democracy,” President Nicolas Maduro informed supporters gathered within the capital.
Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali mentioned his authorities is repeatedly working to make sure the nation’s borders “stay intact” and mentioned individuals have “nothing to worry within the coming hours, days, months.”
What have been voters requested?
Maduro claimed the referendum had a “essential degree of participation.”
After voting ended on Sunday, Venezuela’s Nationwide Electoral Council claimed to have counted greater than 10.5 million votes.
However just a few voters have been seen at polling stations throughout the voting interval, information stories reported.
“I got here to vote as a result of Essequibo is ours, and I hope that no matter they do, they give it some thought completely and bear in mind by no means to hazard peace,” 37-year-old service provider Juan Carlos Rodríguez informed the Related information company Press. voting in a middle in Caracas the place solely a handful of individuals have been in line.
Every voter was requested 5 questions, together with whether or not they agreed to the creation of a brand new state known as Guayana Esequiba within the Essequibo area, granting its inhabitants Venezuelan citizenship and identification playing cards, and together with that state on the map of the Venezuelan territory.
Nevertheless, the Electoral Council didn’t clarify whether or not the variety of votes was equal to every voter or whether or not it was the sum of all solutions.
It’s also not but clear how Maduro will implement the end result of the vote.
‘Textbook instance of annexation’
The referendum in Venezuela was held after the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice urged the nation to chorus from “taking any motion” that might change the established order within the area.
On Friday, the president of the worldwide judiciary, Joan E. Donoghue, mentioned statements from the Venezuelan authorities confirmed that it was “taking steps in the direction of gaining management and administration of the disputed territory.”
“As well as, Venezuelan army officers have introduced that Venezuela is taking concrete measures to construct an airstrip to function a ‘logistical help level for the excellent improvement of the Essequibo,’” she mentioned.
However Guyana has at all times feared that the referendum might be a pretext for land grabbing.
“The collective choice sought right here entails nothing lower than the annexation of the territory disputed on this case,” Paul Reichler, a US lawyer representing Guyana, informed the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice. “It is a textbook instance of annexation.”
Essequibo is bigger than Greece and wealthy in minerals. It additionally supplies entry to part of the Atlantic Ocean the place vitality large ExxonMobil found oil in business portions in 2015, attracting the eye of Maduro’s authorities.
Caracas considers Essequibo its personal area as a result of the area was inside its borders throughout Spanish colonial instances.
The Guyanese authorities insists on conserving the border set by an arbitration panel in Paris in 1899, whereas claiming that Venezuela had agreed to the ruling till the nation modified its thoughts in 1962.
