Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday directed the country’s state-owned companies to “immediately” begin to explore and exploit the oil, gas and mines in Guyana’s Essequibo region, a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals that Venezuela claims as its own.
Quick Read
- Maduro’s Directive on Essequibo Region: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered state-owned companies to start exploring and exploiting oil, gas, and mines in Guyana’s Essequibo region, a territory rich in resources that Venezuela claims as its own.
- Recent Referendum Victory: Maduro’s announcement follows a referendum victory advocating for Venezuela’s sovereignty over the Essequibo region.
- Licensing and Company Creation: Maduro plans to issue operating licenses for resource exploration and exploitation in Essequibo and establish local subsidiaries of Venezuelan public companies like PDVSA (oil) and Corporación Venezolana de Guayana (mining).
- Implementation and Jurisdictional Questions: It remains unclear how Maduro will enforce jurisdiction over Essequibo, especially after a law declaring it a part of Venezuela is discussed by the National Assembly.
- New Military Zone: Maduro announced the creation of a Comprehensive Defense Operational Zone (Zodi) for Essequibo, similar to Venezuela’s special military commands in other regions.
- Historical Claim to Essequibo: Venezuela has long considered Essequibo its territory, dating back to Spanish colonial times, and disputes the 1899 international arbitration decision when Guyana was a British colony.
- Fluctuating Venezuelan Interest: Venezuela’s interest in Essequibo rekindled following ExxonMobil’s 2015 discovery of oil in the area.
- Guyana’s Response and International Court Involvement: Guyana condemns Venezuela’s actions and the recent referendum as a pretext for annexation. Guyana appealed to the International Court of Justice, which ordered Venezuela to refrain from altering the status quo until it rules on the dispute, a process that could take years.
The Associated Press has the story:
Maduro orders ‘immediate’ exploitation of oil, gas & mines in Guyana’s Essequibo
Newslooks- CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday directed the country’s state-owned companies to “immediately” begin to explore and exploit the oil, gas and mines in Guyana’s Essequibo region, a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals that Venezuela claims as its own.
The announcement came a day a day after Maduro got the victory he sought in a weekend referendum on whether to claim sovereignty over the region.
Maduro said he would “immediately” proceed “to grant operating licenses for the exploration and exploitation of oil, gas and mines in the entire area of our Essequibo.” He also ordered the creation of local subsidiaries of Venezuelan public companies, including oil giant PDVSA and mining conglomerate Corporación Venezolana de Guayana.
It is not clear how the Maduro administration intends to implement the idea of exercising jurisdiction over the territory once it’s officially declared part of Venezuela through a law that is to be soon discussed by the National Assembly, which is controlled by the ruling party.
In addition to the announcement regarding the exploitation of resources in Essequibo, Maduro announced Tuesday the creation of a new Comprehensive Defense Operational Zone, Zodi in Spanish, for the disputed strip, similar to the special military commands that conduct operations in different regions of the country.
The 61,600-square-mile (159,500-square-kilometer) area accounts for two-thirds of Guyana. Yet, Venezuela has always considered Essequibo as its own because the region was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period, and it has long disputed the border decided by international arbitrators in 1899, when Guyana was still a British colony.
Venezuela’s commitment to pursue the territorial claim has fluctuated over the years. Its interest piqued again in 2015 when ExxonMobil announced it had found oil in commercial quantities off the Essequibo coast.
Guyana has denounced Venezuela’s actions and Sunday’s referendum as pretext to annex the land. It had appealed to the International Court of Justice, the United Nations’ top court, which on Friday ordered Venezuela not to take any action to change the status quo until the panel can rule on the two countries’ competing claims, which could take years.
Venezuela’s government wins vote on claiming part of Guyana, but turnout seems lackluster
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro got the victory he sought in a weekend referendum on whether to claim sovereignty over an oil-rich area of neighboring Guyana. But lackluster turnout suggested his government is losing influence and is tone deaf to people’s needs.
Quick Read
- Maduro’s Referendum on Essequibo: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro achieved his desired outcome in a referendum on claiming sovereignty over Guyana’s oil-rich Essequibo area, but low turnout indicated waning government influence.
- Government’s Promotion Efforts: Maduro’s government heavily promoted the referendum with various patriotic activities, including theater and music.
- Questionable Voter Turnout: Official participation figures reported 10.5 million voters, over half of eligible voters, but this conflicted with observations of empty polling stations, indicating lower actual turnout.
- Essequibo’s Status and Maduro’s Plans: The Venezuelan government has yet to clarify its next steps following the referendum, which involved a long-disputed territory with Guyana.
- Guyana’s Reaction and International Court Involvement: Guyana denounced the referendum as a pretext for annexation and appealed to the International Court of Justice, which ordered Venezuela not to alter the status quo pending a ruling.
- Skepticism Among Venezuelans: Local observations revealed empty polling stations, contradicting official participation claims and suggesting skepticism among Venezuelans.
- Referendum’s Focus: Venezuelan voters were asked about establishing a state in Essequibo, granting citizenship to its residents, and rejecting the U.N. court’s jurisdiction.
- Contrast with Previous Elections: The lack of voter turnout contrasted sharply with previous elections, even in Chavismo strongholds.
- Implications for Government Influence: Analysts view the low turnout as a significant setback for the government’s mobilization capabilities, with potential implications for the 2024 presidential elections.
- Maduro’s Campaign Tactics: The government employed various tactics to distract from issues like U.S. pressure and political prisoners, focusing on Essequibo’s rich mineral resources and disputed history.
- Essequibo’s Significance: The territory, larger than Greece, is resource-rich and strategically important due to nearby oil discoveries by ExxonMobil.
- Historical and Legal Dispute: Venezuela disputes the 1899 border arbitration and insists on a 1966 agreement nullifying the initial decision, while Guyana upholds the original arbitration.
- Regional Responses: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for common sense and avoidance of conflict in the region.
- Context with Opposition’s Primary: The referendum followed an opposition primary that saw unexpected participation, contrasting with the government’s referendum.
- Government’s Narrative on Voting Efficiency: State media and Maduro emphasized the efficiency of the electronic voting system, claiming it led to rapid voting.
- Criticism of Electoral Trust: Observers criticized the referendum as highlighting Venezuelans’ lack of faith in their electoral system, questioning the government’s credibility.
The Associated Press has the story:
Venezuela’s government wins vote on claiming part of Guyana, but turnout seems lackluster
Newslooks- CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro got the victory he sought in a weekend referendum on whether to claim sovereignty over an oil-rich area of neighboring Guyana. But lackluster turnout suggested his government is losing influence and is tone deaf to people’s needs.
Maduro’s government had promoted the referendum for weeks as a unifying act of patriotism, including with theater performances and reggaeton music.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council on Monday reported participation in the referendum of about 10.5 million voters, which would have been just over half of the 20.6 million eligible people. But those figures defied what people witnessed at voting centers, where long lines typical of Venezuelan elections never formed.
The vote centered around a vast territory known as Essequibo, which Venezuelans have long argued was stolen from them when the border with present-day Guyana was drawn more than a century ago. Maduro’s government still had not explained as of Monday what actions it might take to enforce results of the vote.
Guyana denounced the referendum as pretext to annex the land. It had appealed to the International Court of Justice, the United Nations’ top court, which on Friday ordered Venezuela not to take any action to change the status quo until the panel can rule on the two countries’ competing claims, which could take years.
José Luis Cova, 45, who lives near two voting centers in Caracas, the capital, said polling stations were empty.
“Everything they said is a lie because I passed by several centers and everything was always empty. I don’t know where they got that number of people who supposedly voted for the Essequibo,” Cova said.
Venezuelan voters were asked whether to support establishing a state in Essequibo, grant citizenship to its residents and reject the U.N. court’s jurisdiction in the dispute.
Maduro described the vote as a success during a 50-minute speech Monday.
In a tour of Caracas voting centers by The Associated Press, lines of about 30 people could be seen at some of them, while at others there were no lines — even in areas long considered strongholds of Chavismo, the political movement started by Maduro’s mentor and predecessor Hugo Chávez. That contrasted with previous elections when hundreds of people gathered outside voting centers.
Geoff Ramsey, senior analyst on Venezuela at the Atlantic Council think tank, said the less-than-robust turnout was a bad sign for the government.
“This is shaping up to be a historic defeat for the government’s ability to get out the vote, which will have huge ramifications for next year’s presidential elections,” Ramsey said. “This is a political earthquake inside the governing coalition. For years, Chavismo has prided itself on its ability to mobilize its voters, even as the movement’s popularity faded.”
Looking at the presidential election that Maduro and a faction of the opposition have agreed to hold in 2024, Ramsey said the president must now be asking himself: “Why risk a free election when even the ruling party faithful can’t be bothered to come out and vote?”
Maduro threw the full weight of his government into the effort. Essequibo-themed music, nationally televised history lessons, murals, rallies and social media content helped the government to divert people’s attention from other matters, such as the U.S. government’s increasing pressure on Maduro to release political prisoners and guarantee a fair election next year.
Essequibo is larger than Greece and rich in minerals. The 61,600-square-mile (159,500-square-kilometer) territory accounts for two-thirds of Guyana and gives access to an area of the Atlantic where energy giant ExxonMobil discovered oil in commercial quantities in 2015.
Essequibo was within Venezuela’s boundaries during the Spanish colonial period, and Caracas has long disputed the border decided by international arbitrators in 1899 when Guyana was still a British colony.
Venezuelan officials say the arbitrators conspired to cheat their country out of the land and argue that a 1966 agreement to resolve the dispute effectively nullified the original arbitration. Guyana maintains the initial accord is legal and binding.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose country borders a portion of Essequibo, said Monday that he hopes that “common sense prevails, on the side of Venezuela and Guyana.”
“What South America doesn’t need is confusion,” Lula said, adding that countries in the region should “not think about fighting, not think about making up stories.”
The referendum took place less than two months after a faction of Venezuela’s opposition held a presidential primary without the government’s assistance that surpassed participation expectations, including in pro-Chavismo neighborhoods.
Primary organizers reported that more than 2.4 million voters participated, a number that government officials declared mathematically impossible given the number of available voting centers and the time it would take a person cast a paper ballot in the opposition election.
State media minimized the lack of lines at voting centers Sunday, saying that the government’s electronic voting system worked efficiently and the people cast ballots at a rapid rate. Maduro told supporters it took him only 15 seconds to vote.
Chris Sabatini, senior fellow for Latin America at the London-based Chatham House, said the government’s use of the referendum to shift voters’ attention away from the country’s poverty and corrosive emigration was “a failure on all fronts” in part because the vote ended up underscoring Venezuelans’ lack of faith in their electoral authorities.
“They clearly overplayed their hand,” Sabatini. “If part of their effort was to try to demonstrate the vibrancy of their electoral system, they are entering a whole new debate now because it doesn’t look good to them. No one trusted it.”
Venezuelans approve a referendum to claim sovereignty over a swathe of neighboring Guyana
Venezuelans on Sunday approved a referendum called by the government of President Nicolás Maduro to claim sovereignty over an oil- and mineral-rich area of neighboring Guyana it argues was stolen when the border was drawn more than a century ago.
Quick Read
- Venezuelan Referendum on Essequibo: Venezuelans approved a government-backed referendum to claim sovereignty over the Essequibo region of Guyana, a resource-rich area disputed since colonial times.
- Questionable Turnout and Results: Despite the National Electoral Council reporting over 10.5 million votes, actual voter turnout seemed low, with few people observed at polling sites.
- Referendum Questions: Voters were asked about establishing a state in Essequibo, granting citizenship to its residents, and rejecting the U.N. court’s jurisdiction in the border dispute.
- Maduro’s Claim of Success: President Maduro declared the referendum a success, despite the lack of typical long lines at voting centers in Caracas.
- Guyana’s Concerns: Guyana views the referendum as a step towards Venezuelan annexation of Essequibo, causing apprehension among its residents.
- International Court of Justice’s Order: The ICJ ordered Venezuela not to take actions changing Guyana’s control over Essequibo, although it did not specifically ban the referendum.
- Venezuela’s Military Actions: Venezuelan military officials announced measures to establish an airstrip in Essequibo as part of their territorial claim.
- Brazil’s Response: Brazil, bordering Essequibo, increased its military presence in the region due to the dispute.
- Essequibo’s Strategic Importance: The territory, larger than Greece, is mineral-rich and near areas where ExxonMobil discovered significant oil reserves.
- Historical and Legal Dispute: Venezuela has contested the 1899 international arbitration that set the border and argues for a 1966 agreement to resolve the dispute, which Guyana rejects.
- Maduro’s Government Promotion: The Venezuelan government heavily promoted the referendum, linking it to patriotism and support for Maduro, amidst U.S. pressure on other issues.
- Comparative Voter Participation: Turnout was significantly lower compared to previous elections and the recent opposition primary, raising questions about the referendum’s credibility.
- Guyana’s Position: Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali reassured citizens about maintaining the country’s borders and urged Venezuela to respect the rule of law in resolving the dispute.
The Associated Press has the story:
Venezuelans approve a referendum to claim sovereignty over a swathe of neighboring Guyana
Newslooks- CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)
Venezuelans on Sunday approved a referendum called by the government of President Nicolás Maduro to claim sovereignty over an oil- and mineral-rich area of neighboring Guyana it argues was stolen when the border was drawn more than a century ago.
It remains unclear how Maduro will enforce the results of the vote. But Guyana considers the referendum a step toward annexation, and the vote has its residents on edge.
The National Electoral Council claimed to have counted more than 10.5 million votes even though few voters could be seen at polling sites throughout the voting period for the five-question referendum. The council, however, did not explain whether the number of votes was equivalent to each voter or if it was the sum of each individual answer.
Venezuelan voters were asked whether they support establishing a state in the disputed territory, known as Essequibo, granting citizenship to current and future area residents and rejecting the jurisdiction of the United Nations’ top court in settling the disagreement between the South American countries.
“It has been a total success for our country, for our democracy,” Maduro told supporters gathered in Caracas, the capital, after results were announced. He claimed the referendum had “very important level of participation.”
Yet long lines typical of electoral events did not form outside voting centers in Caracas throughout Sunday, even after the country’s top electoral authority, Elvis Amoroso, announced the 12-hour voting period would be extended by two hours.
If the participation figure offered by Amoroso refers to voters, it would mean more people voted in the referendum than they did for Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s mentor and predecessor, when he was re-elected in the 2012 presidential contest. But if it is equivalent to each individual answer marked by voters, turnout could drop to as low as 2.1 million voters.
“I came to vote because Essequibo is ours, and I hope that whatever they are going to do, they think about it thoroughly and remember to never put peace at risk,” merchant Juan Carlos Rodríguez, 37, said after voting at a center in Caracas where only a handful of people were in line.
The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Venezuela not to take any action that would alter Guyana’s control over Essequibo, but the judges did not specifically ban officials from carrying out Sunday’s five-question referendum. Guyana had asked the court to order Venezuela to halt parts of the vote.
Although the practical and legal implications of the referendum remain unclear, in comments explaining Friday’s verdict, international court president Joan E. Donoghue said statements from Venezuela’s government suggest it “is taking steps with a view toward acquiring control over and administering the territory in dispute.”
“Furthermore, Venezuelan military officials announced that Venezuela is taking concrete measures to build an airstrip to serve as a ‘logistical support point for the integral development of the Essequibo,’” she said.
The 61,600-square-mile (159,500-square-kilometer) territory accounts for two-thirds of Guyana and also borders Brazil, whose Defense Ministry earlier this week in a statement said it has “intensified its defense actions” and boosted its military presence in the region as a result of the dispute.
Essequibo is larger than Greece and rich in minerals. It also gives access to an area of the Atlantic where energy giant ExxonMobil discovered oil in commercial quantities in 2015, drawing the attention of Maduro’s government.
Venezuela’s government promoted the referendum for weeks, framing participation as an act of patriotism and often conflating it with a show of support for Maduro. The country has always considered Essequibo as its own because the region was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period, and it has long disputed the border decided by international arbitrators in 1899 when Guyana was still a British colony.
That boundary was decided by arbitrators from Britain, Russia and the United States. The U.S. represented Venezuela on the panel in part because the Venezuelan government had broken off diplomatic relations with Britain.
Venezuelan officials contend that Americans and Europeans conspired to cheat their country out of the land and argue that a 1966 agreement to resolve the dispute effectively nullified the original arbitration.
Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America, maintains the initial accord is legal and binding and asked the International Court of Justice in 2018 to rule it as such, but a decision is years away.
Voters on Sunday had to answer whether they “agree to reject by all means, in accordance with the law,” the 1899 boundary and whether they support the 1966 agreement “as the only valid legal instrument” to reach a solution.
Maduro threw the full weight of his government into the effort. Essequibo-themed music, nationally televised history lessons, murals, rallies and social media content helped the government to divert people’s attention from pressing matters, including increasing pressure from the U.S. government on Maduro to release political prisoners and wrongfully detained Americans as well as to guarantee free and fair conditions in next year’s presidential election.
In a tour of Caracas voting centers by The Associated Press, lines of about 30 people could be seen at some of them, while at others, voters did not have to wait at all to cast their ballots. That contrasts with other electoral processes when hundreds of people gathered outside voting centers from the start.
The activity also paled in comparison with the hours-long lines that formed outside polls during the presidential primary held by a faction of the opposition in October without assistance from the National Electoral Council.
More than 2.4 million people participated in the primary, a number that government officials declared mathematically impossible given the number of available voting centers and the time it takes a person to cast a paper ballot. State media attributed the lack of wait times Sunday to the fast speed at which people were casting their electronic ballots.
Maduro told supporters celebrating the results that it only took him 15 seconds to vote early Sunday.
Ángela Albornoz, a grassroots organizer for the ruling party, told the AP she estimated that between 23% and 24% of the voters assigned to her voting center cast ballots Sunday. Albornoz, 62, said that figure was below her expectations for an event meant to bring together all Venezuelans “regardless of politics.”
Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Sunday told Guyanese his government is working continuously to ensure the country’s borders “remain intact” and said people have “nothing to fear over the next number of hours, days, months ahead.”
“I want to advise Venezuela that this is an opportunity for them to show maturity, an opportunity for them to show responsibility, and we call upon them once more join us in … allowing the rule of law to work and to determine the outcome of this controversy,” Ali said.
