2023-12-03 22:53:00
Former member of the government believes that political polarization in Venezuela had an impact on the low turnout of the population at the polls this Sunday Pedro Rances MAttey/AFP 03.12.23 The Venezuelan electoral authority announced that it will extend it for two hours, until 8pm local time (9pm Brasília), the referendum vote on the annexation of 70% of Guyana’s territory, claiming that citizens continued to participate at the time of its closure. The consultative referendum held this Sunday (3) aims to strengthen a century-old claim over Essequibo, a territory rich in oil and natural resources under the control of Guyana, which in turn asked its neighbor for “maturity and responsibility”. See also International Author of the attack in Paris said he belonged to the Islamic State, says anti-terrorism prosecutor International Venezuelan opposition reports low participation in referendum on dispute with Guyana International ‘There is nothing to fear’, says president of Guyana on Venezuelan referendum Around 20, 7 million of 30 million Venezuelans are called to vote, although many centers in Caracas, San Cristóbal (western Táchira state) and Ciudad Guayana (southeastern Bolívar state, bordering the disputed area) have shown low voter turnout. of voters during the day, AFP journalists found. The non-binding consultation is not about self-determination, as this 160,000 km² territory is administered by Guyana and its 125,000 inhabitants do not vote in the referendum. The result will not have concrete consequences in the short term: Venezuela seeks to reinforce its claim and has denied that the initiative is an excuse to invade and annex the zone by force, as the Guyanese fear. President Nicolás Maduro, who is seeking re-election in 2024, voted first at his electoral center in a military fort. “Today we are voting like Venezuela for a single color, a single feeling,” he told journalists after voting. Natural border Venezuela argues that the Essequibo River is the natural border, as it was in 1777, when it was the Captaincy General of the Spanish Empire. It appeals to the Geneva Agreement, signed in 1966, before Guyana’s independence from the United Kingdom, which laid the foundations for a negotiated solution and annulled an 1899 decision, which defined the limits defended by Guyana, which asked the International Court of Justice for its ratification. Justice (ICJ). Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, who unsuccessfully asked the ICJ to suspend the referendum, told his countrymen they had “nothing to fear”. “We are working tirelessly to ensure that our borders remain intact and that the people and our country remain safe,” he said in a Facebook broadcast. “It’s an opportunity for them to show maturity” and “responsibility”. Oil Venezuela’s claim has intensified since American energy giant ExxonMobil discovered oil in disputed waters in 2015, leaving Guyana with oil reserves comparable to those of Kuwait, leading the world’s per capita reserves list. Maduro spares no insults to Ali, whom he accuses of being “arrogant, arrogant and belligerent.” In addition to the exchange of statements, there were troop movements, and Guyana carried out military exercises and began talks to establish US bases. Thousands of Guyanese formed human chains this Sunday, called “union circles”, to show their attachment to the region. Many wore t-shirts with phrases such as “Essequibo belongs to Guyana” and waved the country’s flags. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who reinforced Brazilian troops on the border, said on Sunday that he hopes “common sense prevails” in this dispute and that the region does not need confusion. Five questions The referendum consists of five questions, which include rejection of the 1899 award and the jurisdiction of the ICJ, as well as support for the 1966 Geneva Agreement. The consultation also proposes the creation of a Venezuelan province called “Guayana Essequiba” and grant nationality to its inhabitants. Given reports of low participation, former Chavista minister and former vice-chancellor Alejandro Fleming believes that political polarization in Venezuela had an impact. “This affects participation in a matter of national interest, as the call did not arise from political consensus,” he told AFP. “From the referendum, I highlight the interest in showing Guyana and the international community a firm position […]. However, a low turnout could be taken advantage of by Guyana to assert that this is not a national issue, although such an opinion would not affect Venezuela’s claim in any way,” he added.
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