On his Telegram account, the president remembered that for the first time in 150 years of struggle for this territory, “the doors were opened to consult the sovereign will of the people: ordinary men and women.”

This unprecedented electoral process, he affirmed, constituted an inclusive, educational, and engaging campaign that awakened the national spirit.

The president praised the fact that “you have to see the courage… to call a referendum on such complex and difficult issues that required study and debate, and that the people responded with a high level of awareness, education, and preparation.”

He emphasized that the Venezuelan people are the victors of the Essequibo region, “without exclusion or partisanship.”

Maduro stated that the vote provided a vital and transcendental impetus to begin a new historical stage with the full exercise of popular and constitutional sovereignty, aimed at recovering the legacy of our Liberators.

Foreign Minister Yvan Gil also commented on social media that today marks two years since the historic and resounding victory of the “Yes” vote in the Consultative Referendum for the Defense of the Essequibo Region, which “strengthens our sovereignty over a territory that has historically belonged to Venezuela.”

jdt/libra/jcd