The president of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela, Elvis Amoroso, announced this Friday that a referendum will be held on December 3 on Guayana Esequiba, the part of Guyana that Caracas claims as its own.

“Unanimously all the rectors, by virtue of the fact that the document had already been notified, it was already approved on December 3 to hold the referendum among the entire people of Venezuela,” said Amoroso, as reported by the newspaper El Universal.

Amoroso has not yet detailed the questions that citizens will have to answer in December. The electoral body plans to meet in permanent session to discuss the next steps for the referendum.

The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, had previously presented to Amoroso the request for a call to hold the referendum after the Chamber approved the consultative initiative last September.

Maduro has on numerous occasions claimed sovereignty over Essequibo, which comprises about two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, by “historical right.” This long-standing dispute was fueled after oil was found in the area.

Essequibo is a territory of 159,542 kilometers that has important natural resources – oil, gas, mining, hydraulic and forestry – and great tourism potential. It is administered by Guyana pursuant to an 1899 arbitration award.

Specifically, Guyana argues that Caracas agreed to give up Essequibo after the ruling in 1899, but that Venezuela later retracted the decision. For its part, Caracas alleges that the decision was unfair.

Source: dpa

(Referential image source: Presidency of Venezuela, Europa Press / dpa)

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