CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuelans will vote on Dec. 3 in a referendum on “the rights” over a potentially oil-rich territory in a controversy with its neighbour Guyana, authorities said today.
Both countries have been involved in a long-running controversy over their borders. In April, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that it had jurisdiction over the issue.
The vote has been described by critics as a way for the ruling party to measure its strength ahead of planned elections next year and to encourage the international courts to give it full rights over the border territory.
Venezuela protested an oil tender announced by Guyana in September, arguing that the offshore areas are subject to dispute and the companies awarded the fields will not have the rights to explore them.
The approximately 160,000 square kilometers along the countries’ borders that Venezuela claims is called Essequibo in Guyana. It constitutes over two thirds of Guyana’s total land mass.
Venezuela’s claims extend over the territory was reactivated in recent years after the discovery of oil and gas near the maritime border.
