Venezuela Referendum on Claiming Guyana Territory Passes Amid Very Low Turnout

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro's obsession with annexing the Essequibo region of Guyana has led to a referendum on declaring it as part of the country's territory, leading to a referendum that passed in favor of the government. However, the turnout was lackluster as fears of a regional conflict stirred in South America.

The Venezuelan government under the Maduro administration had been promoting the referendum for weeks, with nobody daring to challenge it as the government has been infamous for cracking down on dissent. Despite this, the country's National Electoral Council revealed that only 10.5 million voters participated. This is barely half of the number of voters eligible to participate in the referendum.

The government reportedly expected long lines to form, much like what happened in the recent Venezuela opposition primary election. However, these long lines, expected every time Venezuelans vote, did not occur.

"Everything they said is a lie because I passed by several centers and everything was always empty. I don't know where they got that number of people who supposedly voted for the Essequibo," a resident in Caracas named Jose Luis Cova told the Associated Press.

The vote came even after the UN told Venezuela not to take any actions in claiming Essequibo. Venezuela rejected the UN High Court's jurisdiction and proceeded with the referendum anyway.

Guyana on Edge After Venezuela Referendum

With the referendum going in Maduro's favor, it is still unclear how the Venezuelan government might act to enforce the results of the vote. Even so, many in South America are anxious as Brazil has beefed up security in its borders while Guyana has sent out its military to the region to deny any Venezuelan incursion.

Both countries have beefed up their military presence along the border with some posturing and saber-rattling, according to CNN. This has left many residents, particularly indigenous peoples, on edge as war might break out between the two South American neighbors.

"The longstanding row over the border between Guyana and Venezuela has risen to a level of unprecedented tension in the relations between our countries," wrote Guyanese Foreign Minister Robert Persaud.

Even if Venezuela chooses not to implement the referendum, it could still complicate matters in the region as both countries will be on edge, especially near their respective borders.

How the Guyana Vs. Venezuela Territorial Conflict Began

Essequibo is larger than the area of Greece as it has 160,000 square kilometers of land and makes up the western two-thirds of Guyana. It became part of the country after an international arbitration panel decided it in 1899 and has since been part of the country even though it gained independence from the British Empire in the 1960s.

However, according to VOA News, Venezuela rejected this ruling, even though Essequibo is recognized by the entire international community as Guyanese territory. The claim is mostly based on the fact that Essequibo and Venezuela were both administered by Spain during the Spanish colonial era.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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