Venezuelans back government’s claim over oil-rich region of Guyana in referendum
“We have to give a standing ovation to the Venezuelan people,” Mr Maduro mentioned, whereas not specifying what his socialist authorities would do in response to the end result of the “consultative” referendum.
Venezuela is in the grip of a crippling financial disaster forward of elections subsequent 12 months and analysts say Mr Maduro is making an attempt to make use of the Essequibo situation as a distraction.
“Nothing is more potent to divert attention than to bring up a powerful, attractive issue that appeals to patriotic sentiment,” mentioned Rocio San Miguel, a Venezuelan safety knowledgeable.
Irfaan Ali, Guyana’s president, insisted there was “nothing to fear” regardless of the referendum outcome, saying his authorities was working to guard the nation’s borders and maintain folks protected.
Thousands of folks, some of them carrying T-shirts studying “Essequibo belongs to Guyana,” fashioned human chains to protest in opposition to Venezuela’s claim as Sunday’s vote befell.
The Maduro authorities has mentioned it’s not searching for justification to invade or annex the large territory, as some worry in English-speaking Guyana.
Oil reserves of not less than 10 billion barrels
The dispute between the 2 international locations over Essequibo has escalated since 2015, when ExxonMobil found oil off its coast.
Guyana is estimated to have crude oil reserves of not less than 10 billion barrels – greater than the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
The exploitation of these reserves means the nation is about to surpass Venezuela’s personal oil output and grow to be the world’s largest producer of crude per capita.
Tensions have now reached fever pitch after Guyana took bids for brand spanking new offshore oil exploration in September and introduced a brand new discover in October.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) dominated on Friday that Venezuela mustn’t take “any action” to vary the established order in the region.
It added that there’s a “serious risk of Venezuela acquiring and exercising control and administration of the territory in dispute in the present case”.
But at Sunday’s referendum, which requested voters a sequence of questions, Venezuelan voters unilaterally rejected the ICJ’s jurisdiction.
