(Daily360.com) – The nation of Venezuela recently held a referendum relating to territorial claims that their leadership believes it holds over parts of neighboring Guyana. The referendum passed with 95% of the vote.
The area in question is the Esequiba region, which is rich in oil reserves. Votes in Venezuela are often questionable and always seem to favor Nicolás Maduro’s regime. The referendum was about whether or not voters supported a recent international court decision that the region could break off into its own territory that would be then be called Guayana Esequiba.
The referendum’s passage has increased tensions between the nations. Many wonder if Venezuela may invade their neighboring nation to take possession of the region; Venezuala’s army is far superior to that of Guyana. The growing concerns also involve another of Guayana’s neighbors that also shares a border with Venezuela, Brazil.
Guyanese president Mohamed Irfaan Ali recently asked for an explanation from Venezuelan officials about recent troop activity on the border. Maduro is largely unpopular due to Venezuela’s rampant inflation and a steadily declining quality of life. Maduro is unlikely to give up his nation’s longstanding claim on the oil rich area.
Venezuela’s opposition party has organized and completed a primary election and will nominate María Corina Machado in the upcoming election. The former congresswoman won that primary by 93% and is considered a political threat to Maduro. In addition to holding a referendum on the court’s ruling, the Maduro regime has banned Machado from being a candidate at any point in the future.
Despite the ban, the Maduro regime recently made a deal with their opposition party to hold “freer” elections in 2024 than they have held in the past. They regime took this action as a way to close a deal with the United States and get long-standing sanctions removed on their natural energy and other reserves.
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