2023 Venezuelan referendum

2023 Venezuelan referendum

3 December 2023 (2023-12-03)
Voting system	Majority vote
1. Do you agree to reject by all means in accordance with the law, the line fraudulently interposed 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 plan for comprehensive care for the current and future population of that territory, which includes, among others, the granting of citizenship and identity card? Venezuela, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and International Law, consequently incorporating said state on the map of Venezuelan territory?

The 2023 Venezuelan consultative referendum is a ballot measure supported by the government of Nicolás Maduro in support of Venezuela's claim to the Guayana Esequiba region, which lies entirely in the territory of neighboring Guyana. The referendum is scheduled to be held on 3 December 2023.

Questions

The following questions were approved by the National Electoral Council on 23 October 2023 and approved by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Justice Court on 1 November 2023:

1. "Do you agree to reject by all means in accordance with the law, the line fraudulently interposed 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 plan for comprehensive care for the current and future population of that territory, which includes, among others, the granting of citizenship and identity card? Venezuela, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and International Law, consequently incorporating said state on the map of Venezuelan territory?"

Reactions

The proposed questions were condemned by the Guyanese government, which appealed to the ICJ for intervention against Venezuela. In addition, Commonwealth of Nations Secretary-General Patricia Scotland condemned the referendum proposal on grounds of territorial sovereignty, and the leadership of the Caribbean Community voiced support for Guyana.