ICJ Orders Venezuela to Halt Election Plans in Guyana’s Essequibo
Government has welcomed the International Court of Justice Order issued on May 1, 2025, in response to Guyana’s request for the indication of additional provisional measures.
Guyana wrote the ICJ following the announcement by the Government of Venezuela in January 2025 of plans to elect a governor and legislative council of “Guayana Esequiba State”, which is the name Venezuela has given to Guyana’s Essequibo region.
The ICJ Order unanimously reaffirms the provisional measures indicated in its Order of December 1,2023, which should be immediately and effectively implemented.
The Order also indicates that “Pending a final decision in the case, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from conducting elections, or preparing to conduct elections, in the territory in dispute, which the Co-operative Republic of Guyana currently administers and over which it exercises control.”
It should be recalled that the Court’s Order of December 1, 2023 stated as follows:
“(1) Pending a final decision in the case, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Co-operative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area; and
(2) Both Parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve.”
A statement from the Guyana administration reiterates its unwavering commitment to the principles of international law, the peaceful resolution of disputes and to the ICJ Process for a final, peaceful and lawful resolution of the controversy concerning the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award that determined the land boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.
The Guyanese authorities has reiterated calls on the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to comply fully with the ICJ’s orders, which are legally binding, and refrain from any actions that violate Guyana’s territorial integrity or disrupt the peace and security of the Latin American and Caribbean region.
