2023-12-04 18:08:39
This Sunday, 95% of Venezuelan voters approved in favor of the creation of a new state in Essequibo, rich in oil and which represents 70% of Guyana’s territory.
Published on: 04/12/2023 – 17:08
1 min
Venezuelan voters voted this Sunday, December 3, in favor of integrating the oil-rich region of Essequibo into the country. The consultative referendum was organized by Caracas to legitimize claims over this territory in conflict with Guyana.
The vote ended with a victory for “sim”with more than 95% of the votes, to the five questions asked, indicated the National Electoral Council (CNE), which did not advance the value of participation.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro welcomed a “overwhelming” victory. “We took the first steps of a new historic stage in the fight for what belongs to us, to recover what the liberators left us”he stated.
The CNE reported that the referendum collected almost 10.5 million “wishes” of the approximately 20.7 million Venezuelans called to the polls. This figure for the number of votes, without an official announcement of participation, generated controversy, with the opposition accusing the government of trying to hide a high abstention rate and highlighting that 10.5 million “wishes” do not mean 10.5 million voters.
Henrique Capriles, two-time opposition presidential candidate, wrote on the social network X the number “2.110.864” voters, each entitled to up to five votes, one “brutal failure”pointed out the opponent. “It is very difficult to understand such results”defended the director of the Datanalisis polling institute, Luis Vicente León.
For now, the result has no concrete short-term consequences: the territory is in Guyana and it is not a vote for self-determination. However, this referendum aroused concern in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, and the international community.
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