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The government of Guyana has breathed a sigh of relief after a referendum intended to rubber-stamp Venezuela’s claim to around two-thirds of the tiny South American country’s territory appeared to have backfired.
Nicolas Maduro had hoped to leverage his country’s century-long claim to the disputed Essequibo region to mobilise public support but voting stations across the country were largely quiet on Sunday as most voters shunned the issue.
The turnout appeared so underwhelming that the Venezuelan government has been widely accused by analysts of falsifying the results.
“The Venezuelan people have sent Maduro a very strong message and I do hope that Maduro has taken note of what they’ve said”, said Robert Presaud, Guyana’s foreign secretary, on Monday.
Guyanese officials would not comment directly on the results but sources close to the government told the Guardian they were “relieved” by the surprisingly poor turnout.
Venezuela has laid claim to the oil-rich Essequibo region ever since it gained independence from Spain in 1811, alleging that its borders were drawn up unfairly in an act of international collusion.
