Venezuelan electoral authorities claimed that 95 percent of voters in a nonbinding referendum approved of the nation’s territorial claim on a huge chunk of neighboring oil-rich Guyana.
- “We have taken the first steps of a new historic stage in the struggle for what belongs to us, to recover what the liberators left us,” says Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
- The referendum raised fears in Guyana, and around the region, about Venezuela’s ultimate intentions over the contested territory.
Zoom Out: This territory dispute has been going on since the country has existed and it’s unclear what steps Venezuela’s government would take to enforce its claim now.