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Venezuela’s referendum a resounding failure – Jagdeo
Kaieteur News – The Government of Guyana (GoG) believes that the consultative referendum held by the Venezuelan government on December 3, 2023, which seeks to annex this nation’s Essequibo region was nothing short of a “resounding failure”.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo
Emphasising this was Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, during a live interview in Dubai, with BBC News on Monday. The former Head of State told the British news agency that while the world was expectant of a “yes vote” on the referendum, it turned out to be a failure, since the Nicolas Maduro-led government hardly saw the participation of its people. “We believe it is a resounding failure for the Maduro government considering only half of the total eligible voters turned out, and then, of the half that turned out, not 100 percent voted in favour of a yes vote, so less than half of the eligible voters voted in favour of the issues, the questions posed there,” the VP reasoned.
The December 3 referendum included the following five questions:
- “Do you agree to reject by all means in accordance with the law, the line fraudulently interposed by the 1899 Paris Arbitration Award, which seeks to deprive us of our Guayana Esequiba?”
- “Do you support the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the only valid legal instrument to reach a practical and satisfactory solution for Venezuela and Guyana regarding the controversy over the territory of Guayana Esequiba?”
- “Do you agree with Venezuela’s historical position of not recognizing the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to resolve the territorial controversy over Guayana Esequiba?”
- “Do you agree to oppose, by all legal means, Guyana’s claim to unilaterally dispose of a sea pending delimitation, illegally and in violation of international law?”
- “Do you agree with the creation of the Guayana Esequiba state and the development of an accelerated plan for comprehensive care for the current and future population of that territory, which includes, among others, the granting of citizenship and identity card? Venezuela, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and International Law, consequently incorporating said state on the map as Venezuelan territory?”
Map of Guyana showing the portion being claimed by Venezuela
Guyana had approached the World Court last month seeking protective orders that would effectively halt parts of the vote, aimed at paving the way for Venezuela to annex the Essequibo region. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday ordered Venezuela not to take any action that would alter Guyana’s control over its Essequibo region, but did not specifically ban Venezuela from holding its referendum. Jagdeo in his comments to the BBC told viewers that the move by the Venezuelan President was a distraction to the problems that grapple that nation.
He said, “We saw it as a distraction from the problems in Venezuela and now we have concerns all day long, the Latin American News agencies have been pointing out there was a low voter turnout, then the electoral council announced a figure that we can’t believe.” The former President continued, “So we believe that even with the rigging of turn out figures, they still didn’t have half of the eligible voters on an issue that Venezuela has over the past 50 years been saying to their people that Essequibo belongs to them.” Jagdeo was keen to note that while the outcome of that referendum was “predictable”, the world remains in support of Guyana, especially with the recent ruling handed down by the ICJ.
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