Venezuela Holds Election in Essequibo Region, Escalating Tensions with Guyana

• Venezuelans on Sunday voted to elect a governor and other lawmakers for Essequibo, an oil-rich region internationally recognized as part of Guyana but long claimed by Caracas. The vote marked the first time Venezuelans have elected officials for the territory, despite the absence of participation from Essequibo’s 125,000 residents.
• The election, described by Guyanese President Irfaan Ali as “scandalous, false, propagandistic and opportunistic,” has sharply escalated an already tense border dispute. The vote installed a new governor, six deputies to Venezuela’s National Assembly, and seven members to a regional legislative assembly, all for a region over which Venezuela has no administrative control.
• It is unclear how the officials, once elected, plan on running the territory, which Guyana governs. Only 42.63% of eligible voters showed up. Many polling stations across the country were nearly empty, especially in urban centers. The ruling party, PSUV, led by Maduro, still secured a sweeping victory, winning 23 out of 24 governor races.
• The move is the latest flashpoint in a territorial saga that dates back more than a century. It comes over a year after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro declared the creation of a 24th state called “Guayana Esequiba” within the disputed territory, following a national referendum supporting the annexation bid.
• Guyana, which has administered the region since gaining independence in 1966, remains on high alert. The country, with a military force of fewer than 5,000 troops, has ramped up defense ties with the United States in response to Venezuela’s aggressive posture.
• Venezuela’s claim hinges on the argument that Essequibo was part of its borders during Spanish colonial times, and it has long rejected the 1899 arbitration ruling that delineated the boundary when Guyana was still a British colony. The stakes in the dispute have intensified since the discovery of large offshore oil reserves in Guyana’s waters, making the country one of the world’s fastest-growing oil producers and a future leader in per capita oil output.
• As the territorial dispute heads back to the international legal stage and the political rhetoric on both sides intensifies, the future of Essequibo remains at the center of a high-stakes geopolitical standoff.

 (Source: Caribbean National Weekly)