THE International Court of Justice (ICJ) has officially acknowledged Guyana’s request for provisional measures to ensure that Venezuela refrains from conducting any electoral activities in the Essequibo region.

The ICJ, in a statement on Friday, noted that Guyana’s request was made in accordance with Article 41 of the Statute of the Court and Articles 73, 74, and 76 of the Rules of Court.
On Thursday, Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, disclosed that the country submitted a formal request for provisional measures to the Registry of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the ongoing case concerning the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela).

Guyana’s request was prompted by Venezuela’s recent announcement of plans to hold elections in the Essequibo region.
Guyana pointed out that the Bolivarian Republic’s plans for an election, on May 25, 2025, and any preparatory actions leading up to then, have been deemed as a violation of its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence, as well as a breach of the ICJ’s Order of December 1, 2023 concerning provisional measures.

Guyana has contended that any electoral activities by Venezuela in the Essequibo region would result in irreparable harm to the country and, therefore, is requesting urgent provisional measures.

Guyana requests the court to indicate the following provisional measures:
1.) Venezuela shall not conduct any election in, or in respect of, any part of the territory on Guyana’s side of the boundary line as established by the 1899 Arbitral Award, including by doing any of the following acts:
a. purporting to extend the right to vote in any Venezuelan elections to any individuals living within that territory;
b. distributing ballot papers, poll cards, electoral materials or any other physical or electronic electoral documents to individuals within that territory;
c. presenting or naming or otherwise supporting candidates for any Venezuelan elections within that territory;
d. establishing polling stations, counting stations or electoral offices within that territory;

2.)
⦁ purporting to establish, elect or appoint any office of governor, legislative council, deputies or any other legislative or governmental official in respect of any part of that territory; and
⦁ communicating directly or indirectly with any residents in that territory in regard to any elections planned by Venezuela.
⦁ Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which purports to annex de jure or de facto any territory on Guyana’s side of the boundary line established by the 1899 Arbitral Award, including by incorporating ‘Guayana Esequiba’ as part of Venezuela.
⦁ Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would seek to modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.”

Recently, a Venezuelan naval vessel, the ABV Guaiqueiri PO-11-IMO 469552, entered Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone on March 1, 2025, coming dangerously close — approximately 700 metres—to the FPSO PROSPERITY, which was operating lawfully under a licence issued by Guyana.

The Venezuelan vessel made threatening radio communications, falsely claiming that the FPSO PROSPERITY was operating in Venezuela’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
It then proceeded southwest, repeating the same aggressive message to other FPSOs operating in the region.

The genesis of the border controversy goes back to the 1899 Arbitral Award, a landmark decision that delineated the boundary between British Guiana (now Guyana) and Venezuela. Decades after this historic award, Venezuela reignited tensions by challenging its validity.

In 2018, Guyana took a decisive step by approaching the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking affirmation of the award’s legitimacy.

Venezuela initially claimed that the ICJ lacked jurisdiction, a contention flatly rejected by the World Court in a crucial ruling in December 2020. The door was thus opened for the ICJ to delve into the merits of the substantive case.