Guyana Asks World Court to Block Venezuela's Esequibo Election Plans

• Guyana has asked the International Court of Justice to order Venezuela not to proceed with plans to hold elections in the disputed region of Esequibo, saying a vote would violate a prior court ruling, the Guyanese foreign ministry said.
• Venezuela will hold provincial elections on May 25, including for state governors. The government of President Nicolas Maduro last year passed a law creating a new state in the disputed territory, despite the ongoing case at the ICJ over which country Esequibo belongs to and a 2023 court order that Venezuela avoid actions that change the status quo in the territory.
• Guyana said in a statement that the United Nations' top court should prohibit Venezuela from conducting elections in the 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) area, which it said "flagrantly violates" the 2023 order. Guyana said it also requested expedited hearings to prevent what could be "serious and irremediable prejudice" to its rights.
• The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tensions rose last weekend in the dispute over Esequibo – which comprises more than two-thirds of Guyana – when Guyana said a Venezuela coast guard patrol entered its waters and approached an output vessel in an offshore oil block managed by ExxonMobil.
• The Venezuelan government said the waters they entered are a maritime zone pending delimitation in accordance with international law. A final ICJ decision on the dispute could take years.

(Source: Reuters)