Post #1378

Venezuelans will head to the polls on December 3 to weigh in on the country’s sovereignty struggle over the Essequibo Strip. On Monday, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced the date and the questions comprising the non-binding referendum. The Caribbean nation’s maximum electoral authority accepted the petition brought forward by the National Assembly following the most recent public flare-up of the longstanding territorial dispute with eastern neighbor Guyana. Caracas protested after Georgetown opened up a bidding process for oil exploration in the Essequibo Strip’s territorial waters. An exchange of diplomatic communiques saw the Nicolás Maduro government accuse its Guyanese counterpart of acting as “an employee of ExxonMobil,” in reference to the oil giant’s major involvement in drilling projects in the area. Venezuela has repeatedly accused Guyana of violating the 1966 Geneva Agreements that saw the two nations commit to finding an amicable solution to the controversy dating back to the late 19th century. https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuelan-government-calls-referendum-over-essequibo-dispute/