Venezuela stages elections for a disputed part of neighboring Guyana

Venezuela’s autocratic president, Nicolás Maduro, on Sunday staged regional elections across the country — and, controversially, to elect a governor and legislators to represent a disputed oil-rich region internationally recognized as a part of neighboring Guyana. Sunday’s vote comes less than a year after presidential elections in Venezuela, in which Maduro claimed to have won despite evidence to the contrary. Venezuela has long claimed El Esequibo as its territory, while Guyana has repeatedly rejected its claims, citing an 1899 tribunal decision to declare the dispute long settled. “[Esequibo] belongs to Venezuela, and today marks a historic day by electing its regional authorities!”Guyana’s defense chief, Brig. On the eve of the election, Guyana held a “national patriotic concert” where performers danced and sang while crowds waved Guyanese flags.