After a visit to several voting centers in Caracas, Venezuelanalysis editor Ricardo Vaz reports a smooth voting day so far as Venezuelans participate in a referendum over the Essequibo.

Venezuela’s referendum on the Essequibo continues. Voting closes at 6pm (EST), although polls will stay open longer if people are still queuing, and the results are expected later tonight.

VA’s Cira Pascual Marquina brings the latest report from the 23 de Enero neighborhood.

Venezuelans voted to support the country’s sovereignty claim over the Essequibo Strip in a non-binding referendum on Sunday.

National Electoral Council (CNE) President Elvis Amoroso reported that all five referendum questions, related to different aspects of Venezuela’s argument over the controversial border with Guyana, had between 95-98 percent of “Yes” votes.

Venezuela has disputed the 160,000 square kilometer territory since the 19th century, originally with the United Kingdom and later with independent Guyana.

On Sunday, voters were asked whether they rejected the 1899 arbitration ruling that awarded the territory to the UK and instead supported the 1966 Geneva Agreement that saw all parties commit to an amicable solution, if they opposed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction on the matter as well as Guyanese efforts to extract resources in the Essequibo’s waters.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuela-referendum-delivers-overwhelming-backing-for-essequibo-claim/

Venezuela said it was prepared to defend the result of Sunday’s referendum concerning the Essequibo region from US interference in the matter, the government said Monday in a statement.

“The Venezuelan people as a whole demonstrated their will unequivocally and their revolutionary government will defend this democratic expression in the face of any blackmail or interventionist threat,” read the statement.

Venezuelans overwhelmingly voted to support the country’s sovereignty claim over the Essequibo Strip in a referendum carried out on Sunday. Election officials reported that all five referendum questions, related to different aspects of Venezuela’s argument over the controversial border with Guyana, received between 95-98 percent of “Yes” votes.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) reported a turnout of 10.4 million people.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuela-rejects-unacceptable-us-meddling-in-essequibo-dispute/

Venezuela has always been exposed to the US’ hegemonic culture. Its reach when it comes to fashion, movies, music, etc. is huge, and on some occasions this becomes very visible.

It is a consequence of our proximity, of the global dominance of the US cultural industry, and also a direct consequence of our all-important oil industry. For example, it was around the oilfields that people started playing baseball. Later, when a new class found itself flush with money, it did nothing more than imitate the consumer practices from the North.

I’m bringing up these things because right now, as Christmas approaches, the streets of Caracas are decorated with giant, lit polar bears, some dressed as Santa Claus, others looking like they came straight out of a Coca-Cola commercial.

Not just that, every Christmas decoration I have seen in our parks, highways, plazas, etc. seems carbon copied from what you would find in a US city.

And Christmas traditions are in no short supply in Venezuela. We could represent the instruments used in the aguinaldos, parrandas and gaitas (traditional music genres) which are unique to our country and a familiar soundtrack in December.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/tales-of-resistance-polar-bears-and-transculturation/

The Venezuelan government has firmly condemned Guyanese President Irfaan Ali’s overtures to the US Southern Command (Southcom) and other military partners in the disputed Essequibo Strip.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry rejected Guyana’s “imprudent attitude” for opening “the possibility for an imperial power to install military bases,” threatening the region’s stability.

On Tuesday, President Irfaan Ali announced that the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was “on full alert” and had “engaged its military counterparts including the US Southern Command” to safeguard the Essequibo territory. On Thursday, according to the US embassy in Guyana, the US Southcom conducted “flight operations” alongside the GDF.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuela-govt-rejects-us-southern-command-presence-in-essequibo-amidst-border-dispute/

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Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado has ruled out challenging her political disqualification via the country’s Supreme Court.

In a press conference on Wednesday, the far-right leader called her ban “non-existent” and argued there was “nothing to appeal.”

“Our strategy is citizen organization, towards free and competitive elections,” she said. “The procedure proposed by the regime restricts the electoral route,” Machado added, in reference to an agreement between Venezuelan government and opposition dialogue delegations to set up a review process via the Supreme Court.

On November 30, the participants of the recent Barbados Agreement announced that opposition politicians currently barred from holding political office could file appeals before the maximum judicial instance until December 15.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuela-us-backed-machado-refuses-to-appeal-ban-gets-florida-endorsement/

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will meet with Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali on December 14 to address the ongoing Essequibo controversy amidst increased tensions and threats of military deployment.

The meeting will be hosted by the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, who sent a letter Saturday to Maduro and Ali urging them to “de-escalate the conflict and institute an appropriate dialogue.”

In his letter, Gonsalves said that both Guyana and Venezuela had agreed to talk with mediation from Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a United Nations (UN) representative and the leaderships of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), of which St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica hold the respective pro tempore presidencies.

“Both of you are on public record for committing to the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and the maintenance of international law,” Gonsalves reminded the Venezuelan and Guyanese heads of state, adding that “time is of the essence” and that much was “at stake.”

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/presidents-of-guyana-and-venezuela-to-hold-summit-on-essequibo-dispute/

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Imperial forces oppose the exercise of territorial sovereignty because it is an obstacle to the expansion of their corporations, which are, in fact, their first occupation armies.

In disputes over territory, hegemonic capitalism will always opt for the country whose government guarantees greater possibilities of plundering the disputed space, looting its natural and human resources, or gaining geostrategic advantages.

In the case at hand, that country is Guyana, which became an object of desire for oil giants since important reserves of light crude were discovered in the undelimited waters off the Atlantic facade of Venezuela and the Essequibo continental territory, which the former British colony exercises in possession by way of the void 1899 Paris Arbitration Tribunal verdict.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/columns/unusual-and-extraordinary-venezuelan-sovereignty-and-the-essequibo-referendum/

With the year drawing to a close, the Venezuelanalysis team sat down to discuss some of the most important stories in Venezuela.

Host José Luis Granados Ceja was joined by Andreína Chávez, Cira Pascual Marquina and Ricardo Vaz to analyze the recent sanctions easing by the US, the growing tensions surrounding the Essequibo Strip, next year’s presidential elections and the present challenges for popular power in Venezuela.

Listen here 👇

https://venezuelanalysis.com/podcasts/the-venezuelanalysis-podcast-episode-21-sanctions-the-essequibo-and-the-2024-elections/

Venezuela and Guyana agreed Thursday to an ongoing direct dialogue between the two countries following a first meeting between their respective leaders in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

On Thursday evening, both nations published the “Joint Declaration of Argyle for Peace Between Guyana and Venezuela.” The eleven-point document establishes that neither nation will threaten the use of force against the other, that both committed to “resolving controversies in accordance with international law” and to “refrain[ing] from escalating any conflict.”

Furthermore, the declaration states that the two foreign ministries will establish a joint commission to “address matters as mutually agreed.” A second meeting between Ali and Maduro will take place in Brazil within the next three months, also with CELAC and CARICOM mediation.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuela-and-guyana-to-maintain-direct-dialogue-amid-essequibo-dispute/

The recovery of sale prices has seen the Venezuelan government project a 27 percent increase in oil revenues for 2024. Reuters reported that next year’s budget forecasts $11.9 billion in income from PDVSA, up from $9.34 billion in the 2023 projections.

The Venezuelan National Assembly approved a $20.5 billion 2024 budget on Thursday, up 39 percent compared to 2023. However, the estimations are made in bolívares and currency devaluations force recurrent adjustments throughout the year. The Venezuelan government pledged that over three-quarters of the budget is earmarked for social spending.

Apart from the oil sector, PDVSA has additionally looked to court investment for natural gas projects. Unlike for oil ventures, Venezuelan legislation does not require that PDVSA hold a majority stake in gas projects.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuela-oil-output-struggles-govt-eyes-bigger-revenue-in-2024/

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Far-right Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado reversed her stance and submitted a last-minute appeal of her official disqualification from public office.

“[The Venezuelan government] is looking for excuses to prevent me from participating. That is why we are here today, to show that they are not going to force us to abandon the electoral route […] the ball is in their court,” said Machado upon exiting the offices of the Venezuelan Supreme Court on Friday.

Her decision to present her case before the country’s highest court comes after first refusing to challenge her political prohibition, arguing as recently as Thursday that there was “nothing to appeal.”

Upon leaving the Supreme Court premises, Machado insisted to local reporters that her appeal was to demonstrate that her ban on running for office “does not exist.” The filed document was later posted online.

Ahead of a deadline imposed by the United States, government negotiators reached an agreement last month with the hardline opposition allowing for the country’s Supreme Court to review the cases of candidates presently disqualified from running for public office.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuelan-far-right-candidate-reverses-course-appeals-election-disqualification/

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