CNN
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Venezuelans He was elected to governor and other lawmakers for the first time on Sunday. For Essequibo, Venezuela is an oil-rich area that Venezuela claims, despite its widespread recognition as part of its neighbourhood Guyana.
Essequibo’s 125,000 residents, which account for more than 15% of the English-speaking country’s population, did not take part in the election on Sunday.
The vote, which was widely criticized by Guyanese officials, instead was elected by the Venezuelans, six agents to the Venezuelan parliament, and seven to the local legislative assembly. It is unclear how the officials were elected as to how Guyana-controlled territory will be elected.
The election is the latest provocation in a long-term territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana.
More than a year has come when Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the creation of a new state in a territory that is roughly the size of Florida, known as “Guayana Esekiva,” following a referendum in which Venezuelan voters approved the move.
Guyana called Venezuela’s actions a step towards annexation, a “existent” threat when the ghosts of armed conflict loomed on the region.
Maduro announced in January that the vote would be held in the region as part of a larger election for governors and lawmakers across the country. “I want freedom of conscience to help people and people choose the best governor of 24 states,” Maduro told Telegram ahead of Sunday’s election, calling Essequibo the country’s 24th state.
The vote brought Guyana to watch out, and on Saturday President Irfan Ali called the poll “scandalous, false, propaganda (and) opportunistic.”
Guyana has a huge amount of oil reserves and is on track to become the world’s highest per capita oil producer. However, it has an army estimated to be less than 5,000 soldiers, and there is a shortage of hardware and talent to face Venezuela’s aggression.
Meanwhile, the country has sought closer military cooperation with the United States amidst the threat from Venezuela.
On Sunday, the US State Department’s Western Hemisphere Bureau called the election “false” of X.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez opposed the criticism on Sunday, saying “we are supported by historical, legal and moral grounds regarding its territory.”
Venezuela has for decades claimed Essequibo to be unique, claiming it was within Spanish colonial borders. It dismissed a 1899 ruling by an international arbitrator who set the current boundaries when Guyana was still a British colony.
Guyana has dominated the region since gaining independence in 1966. Recent discoveries of vast offshore oil fields in the region have heightened conflict interests.
In 2018, Guyana filed an application with the International Court of Justice to verify the 1899 decision. The case is still under review. With the final decision on its own, the court ordered Venezuela to refrain from holding elections on the territory earlier this month. However, Caracas refused the court’s jurisdiction over the matter.
On the eve of Venezuela’s election, two days before Guyana’s Independence Day, Guyana officials held a national patriotic concert in Essequibo to affirm their sovereignty over the land.
The event brought together thousands of people who saw them waving a Guyana flag and wearing shirts that read “Essekibo belongs to Guyana.”
“Essequibo belongs to Guyana and we’re going to do everything to ensure that Essequibo will become part of the 83,000 square miles,” President Ali told a crowd of cheer supporters.
