Maduro 'incapable of bringing out vote': Referendum meant to spark patriotic fervor met with apathy

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro got the victory he sought in a weekend referendum on whether to claim sovereignty over an oil-rich area of neighboring Guyana. But lackluster turnout suggested his government is losing influence and is tone deaf to people’s needs. Maduro’s government had promoted the referendum for weeks as a unifying act of patriotism, including with theater performances and reggaeton music. Venezuela's National Electoral Council on Monday reported participation in the referendum of about 10.5 million voters, which would have been just over half of the 20.6 million eligible people. But those figures defied what people witnessed at voting centers, where long lines typical of Venezuelan elections never formed. The vote centered around a vast territory known as Essequibo, which Venezuelans have long argued was stolen from them when the border with present-day Guyana was drawn more than a century ago. Maduro’s government still had not explained as of Monday what actions it might take to enforce results of the vote. Guyana denounced the referendum as a pretext to annex the land. It had appealed to the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' top court, which on Friday ordered Venezuela not to take any action to change the status quo until the panel can rule on the two countries' competing claims, which could take years. For more on the referendum that received lackluster turnout, FRANCE 24's François Picard is joined by Phil Gunson, Andes Project Senior Analyst, at The International Crisis Group.