Politics Opposition boycotts elections in Venezuela
Following a wave of arrests against the opposition, parliamentary and regional elections have begun in Venezuela. According to the Interior Ministry, the security forces recently arrested over 70 people, including prominent opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa. The authoritarian government in Caracas accuses them of planning terrorist attacks on embassies, hospitals, police stations and substations in order to disrupt the elections.
25.05.2025, 15:06
SDA
In the elections, Venezuelans voted for the 285 members of parliament, 24 governors and numerous mayors, city councillors and local representatives. For the first time, officials for the disputed border region of Essequibo were also to be elected. Venezuela claims the area, which belongs to neighboring Guyana, for itself. Guyana rejects the claims. The oil-rich region makes up around two thirds of the country's territory.
Large oil deposits arouse covetousness
The current borders of the territory were determined in 1899 in an arbitration award by a tribunal in Paris, which was initiated by the USA and Great Britain. Venezuela refers to an agreement with the United Kingdom from 1966 - a few months before the then colony of British Guiana became independent. This provided for a negotiated solution to the dispute. The border conflict intensified when large oil reserves were discovered off the Atlantic coast of Essequibo in 2015. Guyana granted production licenses to the US oil company Exxon Mobil.
The oil has given Guyana, with a population of just 800,000, a strong upswing in recent years. One of the poorest countries in South America has thus become the country with the highest economic growth in the world.
The opposition has called for a boycott of the elections because it does not expect a free and fair vote. Head of state Nicolás Maduro was confirmed in office last year in a controversial election. The opposition claimed victory at the time and accused the government of fraud. The USA, the EU and numerous Latin American countries also doubt the official election results.
