Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denounced that the United States, Guyana, and the oil company ExxonMobil are seeking to sabotage or prevent the referendum on the Essequibo territory scheduled for Sunday.
“I say to the government of Guyana, ExxonMobil, and the U.S. Southern Command that on Sunday, December 3rd, in Venezuela, come rain, thunder, or lightning, the homeland will wake up blessed, and the people will be in the streets voting and deciding because in Venezuela, the people rule,” he stated.
“We will demonstrate the organized strength of Venezuelan society to motivate, transport, and facilitate everything so that no Venezuelan man or woman is left without going to vote.”
Maduro asserted that ExxonMobil, the U.S. and Guyana have funded Venezuelan influencers to generate the opinion that the Essequibo is not a Venezuelan territory, attempting to suspend the referendum. He characterized such actions as forms of betrayal to the homeland.
“They want to tarnish, damage, dirty, and prevent the referendum. However, the path is written and blessed. We will have a great popular celebration of electoral participation and decision on December 3rd,” he stressed.
Currently, the organizational process for the Essequibo referendum continues and is consolidated. As part of the Republic Plan, the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) will ensure the distribution of materials for the referendum and provide security to voting centers.
Through the Essequibo referendum, approximately 20.6 million Venezuelans will be able to express their opinion on the following questions:
1) Do you agree to reject, by all legal means, the line fraudulently imposed by the 1899 Paris Arbitration Award, which seeks to deprive us of our Guayana Esequiba?
2) Do you support the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the only valid legal instrument to reach a practical and satisfactory solution for Venezuela and Guyana regarding the controversy over the territory of Guayana Esequiba?
3) Do you agree with Venezuela’s historical position of not recognizing the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to resolve the territorial controversy over Guayana Esequiba?
4) Do you agree to oppose, by all legal means, Guyana’s claim to unilaterally dispose of a sea pending delimitation, illegally and in violation of international law?
5) Do you agree with the creation of the Guayana Esequiba state and the development of an accelerated comprehensive care plan for that territory’s current and future population, a plan which includes, among others, the granting of citizenship and a Venezuelan identity card, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and International Law, consequently incorporating such state on the map of Venezuelan territory?
