Caracas contends that the Essequibo River to the east of the region is the natural border between the two countries, as declared in 1777 under Spanish rule, and that Britain wrongly appropriated Venezuelan lands in the 19th century.
Guyana, however, asserts the border was set in the British colonial era and was confirmed in 1899 by a court of arbitration. It says the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’s top judicial body, has validated this finding.
Guyana had asked the ICJ to block the referendum. But while the court on Friday urged Caracas to take no action that might affect the disputed territory, it did not mention the measure.
FIVE QUESTIONS
The referendum covers five questions, including proposals for the creation of a Venezuelan province to be called “Guyana Essequibo”, giving the inhabitants Venezuelan citizenship, as well as a call to reject the ICJ’s jurisdiction.
The Maduro government expects an overwhelming “yes” vote.
The referendum “will probably produce the result desired by Maduro”, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said from Dubai, where he is attending the COP28 environment conference. But “I hope good sense will prevail”.
In Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado, an opposition politician who hopes to run against Maduro in next year’s election, has called the referendum a “distraction”.
And in Guyana, some locals played down the vote.
“The referendum is probably important for them, for Venezuela – not for us,” said Dilip Singh, a businessman who lives in the disputed region.
“I grew up in Essequibo,” he said, adding, “The Spanish have never occupied it – not at any time in our history … now it is independent, and it will always be so.”
Source: CNA
