Maduro’s Party Wins Elections Boycotted by Opposition, Asserts Claim Over Guyana’s Essequibo

(Democracy Now!)- Venezuela’s ruling party has claimed victory in regional and parliamentary elections that were boycotted by the opposition. Sunday’s controversial elections were seen as another victory for President Nicolás Maduro’s government, which claimed that for the first time it will have representation in the disputed region of Essequibo, which is administered by the neighbouring country of Guyana and is internationally recognised as Guyanese territory.

Maduro has recently intensified Venezuela’s assertion over the oil-rich region and said on Sunday that local voters had elected the first-ever governor of Venezuela’s newly created state, Guayana Esequiba. Guyana’s president has denounced this as a “threat.”