The citizens of Venezuela voted to assert sovereignty over the disputed Essequibo region, an oil-rich area encompassing around two-thirds of Guyana. Venezuelan voters showed overwhelming support for the creation of the Guyana Esquiba state, incorporating it into Venezuelan territory. This vote is viewed as a rejection of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) jurisdiction over the issue.
The long-standing territorial dispute further intensified in October when Guyana requested provisional measures from the ICJ. Guyana claimed that the upcoming referendum was a maneuver by Venezuela to retreat from ongoing proceedings, imposing unilateral measures to resolve the controversial issue by formally annexing the disputed territory.
The referendum in Venezuela occurred just two days after the ICJ responded to Guyana’s request. The ICJ ordered Venezuela to refrain from any actions that might modify the prevailing status of the disputed territory. Both parties were also enjoined from taking any actions that would complicate the resolution of the dispute. However, this order didn’t explicitly require the cancellation of the referendum, and the vote proceeded as planned on Sunday.
The Venezuelan voters were presented with five questions, primarily seeking endorsement of Venezuela’s claim over the Essequibo region, rejection of the ICJ’s jurisdiction, opposition to Guyana’s utilization of the offshore area, and support for the incorporation of the Essequibo region into Venezuela. The National Electoral Council reported more than 10 million votes, but there was some controversy regarding whether this figure represented the total number of votes cast or the total number of voters.
There remain concerns over the implementation of the referendum results, with Rocio San Miguel, the President of Citizen Control for Security, Defense, and the National Armed Forces expressing that it’s not yet clear whether Venezuela will fully withdraw its defense before the ICJ or continue participating in the hearings.