The referendum asked Venezuelan voters whether they supported the creation of a state in Essequibo.

Venezuela has claimed it has strong public support for its takeover of an oil-rich region across the border in Guyana.

The referendum result announced on Monday came after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) warned Caracas against “annexing” the territory known as Essequibo, which has long been ruled by Guyana.

“It was a complete success for our country, for our democracy,” President Nicolas Maduro told supporters gathered in the capital.

Guyana’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said his government was continually working to ensure the country’s borders “remain intact” and said people had “nothing to fear in the next hours, days and months.”

What were voters asked?

Maduro claimed that the referendum had a “very high turnout.”

After voting ended on Sunday, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council said it had counted more than 10.5 million votes.

However, news outlets reported that few voters were seen at polling stations throughout the election period.

“I came to vote because Essequibo is ours and I hope that whatever they do, they will think carefully about it and remember never to jeopardize peace,” the 37-year-old businessman said Juan Carlos Rodríguez of The Associated Press news agency after voting in a center in Caracas, where only a handful of people lined up.

Every The voter was asked five questionsalthough they agreed to the creation of a new state called Guayana Esequiba in the Essequibo region, granted its population Venezuelan citizenship and identity cards, and incorporated this state into the map of Venezuelan territory.

However, the electoral council did not explain whether the number of votes corresponded to each voter or whether it was the sum of all answers.

It is also not yet clear how Maduro will implement the voting results.

“Textbook example of annexation”

The referendum in Venezuela came after the ICJ called on the country to “take any measures” that could change the status quo in the region.

On Friday, International Court of Justice President Joan E. Donoghue said statements from the Venezuelan government indicate that it is “taking steps to establish control over and administer the disputed territory.”

“In addition, Venezuelan military officials announced that Venezuela is taking concrete measures to build an airstrip that will serve as a ‘logistical base for the holistic development of the Essequibo,'” she said.

But Guyana has always feared that the referendum could be a pretext for a land grab.

“The collective decision called for here involves nothing less than the annexation of the territory in dispute in this case,” Paul Reichler, an American lawyer representing Guyana, told the International Court of Justice. “This is a prime example of annexation.”

Essequibo is larger than Greece and rich in minerals. It also provides access to an area of ​​the Atlantic where energy giant ExxonMobil discovered oil in commercial quantities in 2015, drawing the attention of the Maduro government.

Caracas considers Essequibo to be its own region, as the region was within its borders during the Spanish colonial period.

The Guyanese government insists on maintaining the border set by an arbitration tribunal in Paris in 1899, but claims that Venezuela agreed to the ruling until it changed its mind in 1962.