Brandishing the result of the referendum, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro assured that “now yes […] we are going to recover” the Essequibo, the oil-rich region under the administration of its neighbor Guyana, which says it remains “vigilant”.
The referendum, organized on Sunday, gave an “overwhelming victory” for “yes”, particularly on the fifth question, with 96.33% of voters in favor of the integration of the disputed region into Venezuela.
Venezuela has claimed this 160,000 km territory (sometimes called Guayana Esequiba) for decades2, representing more than two-thirds of Guyana and home to 125,000 people, or a fifth of its population. With recent oil discoveries in the area, Guyana is now among the countries with the highest reserves per person in the world.
“Today, with the official results […]now yes, we will recover the historic rights of Venezuela and Guayana Esequiba, we will now obtain justice, defend ourselves with the strength of all in national unity,” Mr. Maduro launched during a handover ceremony results of the referendum.
“Unpredictable” Maduro
“The voice of the people is the voice of God and it was manifested on December 3. This is the path that as head of state I will follow,” he said. “This marks the beginning of a new stage in the fight for our Guayana Esequiba. We have a plan for the future. »
For his part, Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd, told AFP that his country intended to remain “vigilant”.
“We must always remain vigilant. Although we do not believe that Nicolas Maduro “will order an invasion, we must be realistic about the environment in Venezuela and the fact that President Maduro can be very unpredictable.”
On the international level, Mr. Todd indicated that his country was continuing its defense cooperation with the United States and other “strategic partners”.
He also stressed that his country was making “a diplomatic push” to try to convince Venezuela to participate in the procedure before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest judicial body of the UN, whose jurisdiction Caracas does not recognize. . But, also to “stop the threats [de Caracas] towards Guyana”.
Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and his Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo have held talks in recent days with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, British Foreign Minister David Cameron and officials from international organizations. .
Participation in the vote
Minister Todd also downplayed the importance of the referendum: “Participation was low. It seems that Venezuelans have other priorities. »
Officially, participation was around 50%, according to the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Elvis Amoroso, who described it as “unprecedented”.
This figure was greeted with skepticism by opposition leaders and analysts. Henrique Capriles, twice opposition presidential candidate, had notably written on him.
Opponents and observers also highlighted an apparent low turnout in the polling stations.
Reacting to the situation, the United States recalled inviting “Venezuela and Guyana to continue to seek a peaceful solution to their dispute. “It’s not a referendum that’s going to resolve it.”
“The number of votes has no meaning, the referendum has no impact on the process before the Court (ICJ),” said Mariano de Alba of the International Crisis Group.
“These types of consultations are not binding legal sources in public international law,” recalls Guillermo Tell Aveledo, professor at the Metropolitan University of Caracas.
Caracas maintains that the Essequibo River should be the natural boundary, as in 1777, during the time of the Spanish Empire.
Guyana believes that the border dates from the English colonial era and that it was ratified in 1899 by a Court of Arbitration. The country contacted the ICJ to have it validated.