[UPDATE] Venezuelan Voters Approve Essequibo Referendum in Dispute With Guyana

Venezuelan voters favored their country's referendum on Essequibo, rejecting the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) jurisdiction in the dispute with Guyana.

The territorial dispute focuses on support for the creation of a new state in the potential oil-rich Essequibo region. This week, the court banned Venezuela from taking any action that would change the status quo in the area, which is the subject of an active case before the ICJ.

Venezuela's Essequibo Referendum

However, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government went aheadwith a five-question "consultative" referendum. Electoral authority president Elvis Amoroso said that all of the referendum's questions passed with more than 95% approval.

He added that at least 10.5 million votes were cast for "yes" but did not confirm the number of voters in total. There are some political and security analysts who have called the referendum a show of strength by Maduro and a test of support for his government ahead of a planned 2024 presidential election, as per Reuters.

In April, the ICJ said that it had jurisdiction though a final ruling on the matter could come several years in the future. Venezuela has argued that the issue should be resolved by the two countries themselves.

In a statement, Maduro cheered the "total success" of the vote late on Sunday. He told a cheering crowd that the Venezuelan population has spoken loudly and clearly regarding the issue.

The Essequibo region, which is at the heart of the case, is a 160,000 square kilometer area that is mostly thick jungle, Venezuela has reactivated its claim over the territory in the past few years after finding out that there is offshore oil and gas in the region.

The South American country has long argued that the Essequibo region was stolen when the border was drawn more than a century ago. However, Guyana considers the referendum a step toward annexation, and the vote has its residents on edge, according to the Associated Press.

The ICJ's Jurisdiction

Throughout the voting process on Sunday, long lines typical of electoral events did not form outside voting centers in Caracas. Instead, before the 12-hour voting session was scheduled to end, Amoroso announced that polls would remain open for two additional hours because of what he described as "massive participation."

With the "yet" vote count at 10.5 million, it meant that more people voted for the referendum than they did for Hugo Chavez, Maduro's mentor and predecessor, when he was re-elected in the 2012 presidential race.

However, activity at voting centers on Sunday in the capital paled in comparison with the hours-long lines that were seen formed outside of centers during the presidential primary that was held by a faction of the opposition in October. This was done without the assistance of the National Electoral Council.

Despite the vote on the referendum, its legal and practical implications remain unclear. However, the president of the ICJ, Joan E. Donoghue said that statements from Venezuela's government suggested that it was already taking steps with a view toward acquiring control over and administering the territory in question, said The Guardian.

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