Venezuelans strongly back referendum on disputed Essequibo territory

BOGOTA, Colombia

Venezuelan electoral authorities said Sunday that the majority of voters in a nonbinding referendum approved of the country’s territorial claim over a large part of neighboring oil-rich Guyana.

According to unofficial results, 96% of the people voted “yes” in a "Solidarity Referendum" to claim sovereignty over the Essequibo territory, the president of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso, told reporters.

Nearly 10.5 million of Venezuela’s 20.7 million eligible voters took part in the consultation, Amoroso said.

Essequibo is managed by Guyana, but Venezuela has claimed it based on a 1966 agreement.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz