President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela reaffirmed the country’s rejection of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) jurisdiction to resolve the territorial controversy with Guyana, in a November 7 post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Let no one be confused! Venezuela has never accepted the International Court of Justice…” Maduro said.
This comes just days before the ICJ is scheduled to hold public hearings on November 14, 2023, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, concerning Venezuela’s planned referendum.
Prior to this, he has said Venezuela will never recognize the ICJ as the means to settle the controversy.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, has scheduled these hearings in relation to the request for provisional measures submitted by Guyana on October 30, 2023. This request is tied to the overarching case questioning the validity of the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela).
The urgency of Guyana’s request is due to a recent action taken by the Venezuelan Government. On October 23, 2023, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council announced its intention to hold a ‘Consultative Referendum’ on December 3, 2023. This referendum includes five questions aimed at garnering public support for Venezuela to withdraw from the current proceedings before the Court and instead adopt unilateral measures to “resolve” the controversy. Of these, the most contentious question concerns the apparent intent of the Venezuela government, to annex Guyana’s Essequibo region, which it claims.
Despite the ICJ affirming its jurisdiction twice during this case’s proceedings since 2018, Maduro maintains that Venezuela does not accept the jurisdiction of the court.
In response to Venezuela’s actions, Guyana’s National Assembly has cast a unanimous vote, reaffirming support for the government’s stance on the longstanding territorial controversy with Venezuela. This rare consensus in Guyana’s political arena is a striking display of solidarity among political parties that are almost always at odds. The motion, championed by Hugh Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, fortified Guyana’s support for the 1899 Arbitral Award, which historically delineated the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.
