Latest news with #Villamizar
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Venezuela elects representatives for Guyana-administered Essequibo
Venezuela elected officials on Sunday for the first time for Essequibo region, an oil-rich territory that Caracas claims from neighboring Guyana as part of a centuries-old dispute. The vote took place in a micro-district of 21,403 voters in Venezuela's Bolivar state, on the Guyanese border. Caracas had specially created it for Sunday's legislative and regional elections. There were no polling stations in the 160,000-square-kilometer territory of (62,000-square-mile) Essequibo, which is administered by Guyana. "Today, Essequibo has a governor," Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told his supporters on Sunday evening moments after the country's results were announced. Neil Villamizar, the candidate for Maduro's ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, received 4,720 votes, making him the first governor of Venezuela's newly created 24th state. "He will have full support for his work, because the people of Essequibo earned it, so that the people of Essequibo have all the rights as the people of Venezuela," Maduro said. Like in Essequibo, Maduro's party swept the board across Venezuela in parliamentary and regional elections, which were boycotted by the opposition in protest over his disputed re-election last year. Besides the governor, Essequibo also elected eight deputies and regional councilors. Turnout in the tiny constituency -- named "Guayana Esequiba" by Venezuelan authorities when it was created last year -- was about 32 percent, and Villamizar received nearly all the votes. Villamizar, a Navy commander who regularly appeared in uniform during his campaign, will have no power over the territory as his position is symbolic. But he told AFP Sunday before voting in El Dorado, one of the towns in Bolivar participating in the vote, that the elections were another step toward achieving "full sovereignty" for the territory. "We are focused on this task: to achieve through peaceful means... the recovery of the full sovereignty of Guayana Esequiba, in peace, with harmony, through diplomacy," Villamizar added. - 'A threat' - Ahead of the vote, Guyana's President Irfaan Ali had denounced the election as a "threat. Ali told AFP last week that Guyana "will do everything to ensure our territorial integrity and sovereignty is kept intact". The centuries-old dispute has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered massive offshore oil deposits a decade ago, giving Guyana the largest crude oil reserves per capita in the world. The territorial dispute is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, which earlier this month ordered Venezuela to suspend plans to extend its election to Essequibo. Maduro said Sunday, after casting his vote, Ali "will have to sit down with me to discuss and accept Venezuelan sovereignty." "With a governor, resources, a budget, and all the support I will provide, we will reclaim the Essequibo for the people," Maduro said. bur-dhc/tc
Int'l Business Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Venezuela Elects Representatives For Guyana-administered Essequibo
Venezuela elected officials on Sunday for the first time for Essequibo region, an oil-rich territory that Caracas claims from neighboring Guyana as part of a centuries-old dispute. The vote took place in a micro-district of 21,403 voters in Venezuela's Bolivar state, on the Guyanese border. Caracas had specially created it for Sunday's legislative and regional elections. There were no polling stations in the 160,000-square-kilometer territory of (62,000-square-mile) Essequibo, which is administered by Guyana. "Today, Essequibo has a governor," Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told his supporters on Sunday evening moments after the country's results were announced. Neil Villamizar, the candidate for Maduro's ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, received 4,720 votes, making him the first governor of Venezuela's newly created 24th state. "He will have full support for his work, because the people of Essequibo earned it, so that the people of Essequibo have all the rights as the people of Venezuela," Maduro said. Like in Essequibo, Maduro's party swept the board across Venezuela in parliamentary and regional elections, which were boycotted by the opposition in protest over his disputed re-election last year. Besides the governor, Essequibo also elected eight deputies and regional councilors. Turnout in the tiny constituency -- named "Guayana Esequiba" by Venezuelan authorities when it was created last year -- was about 32 percent, and Villamizar received nearly all the votes. Villamizar, a Navy commander who regularly appeared in uniform during his campaign, will have no power over the territory as his position is symbolic. But he told AFP Sunday before voting in El Dorado, one of the towns in Bolivar participating in the vote, that the elections were another step toward achieving "full sovereignty" for the territory. "We are focused on this task: to achieve through peaceful means... the recovery of the full sovereignty of Guayana Esequiba, in peace, with harmony, through diplomacy," Villamizar added. Ahead of the vote, Guyana's President Irfaan Ali had denounced the election as a "threat. Ali told AFP last week that Guyana "will do everything to ensure our territorial integrity and sovereignty is kept intact". The centuries-old dispute has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered massive offshore oil deposits a decade ago, giving Guyana the largest crude oil reserves per capita in the world. The territorial dispute is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, which earlier this month ordered Venezuela to suspend plans to extend its election to Essequibo. Maduro said Sunday, after casting his vote, Ali "will have to sit down with me to discuss and accept Venezuelan sovereignty." "With a governor, resources, a budget, and all the support I will provide, we will reclaim the Essequibo for the people," Maduro said. The vote to elect Essequibo took place in a micro-district in Venezuela's Bolivar state, on the Guyanese border AFP
France 24
7 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Venezuela elects representatives for Guyana-administered Essequibo
The vote took place in a micro-district of 21,403 voters in Venezuela's Bolivar state, on the Guyanese border. Caracas had specially created it for Sunday's legislative and regional elections. There were no polling stations in the 160,000-square-kilometer territory of (62,000-square-mile) Essequibo, which is administered by Guyana. "Today, Essequibo has a governor," Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told his supporters on Sunday evening moments after the country's results were announced. Neil Villamizar, the candidate for Maduro's ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, received 4,720 votes, making him the first governor of Venezuela's newly created 24th state. "He will have full support for his work, because the people of Essequibo earned it, so that the people of Essequibo have all the rights as the people of Venezuela," Maduro said. Like in Essequibo, Maduro's party swept the board across Venezuela in parliamentary and regional elections, which were boycotted by the opposition in protest over his disputed re-election last year. Besides the governor, Essequibo also elected eight deputies and regional councilors. Turnout in the tiny constituency -- named "Guayana Esequiba" by Venezuelan authorities when it was created last year -- was about 32 percent, and Villamizar received nearly all the votes. Villamizar, a Navy commander who regularly appeared in uniform during his campaign, will have no power over the territory as his position is symbolic. But he told AFP Sunday before voting in El Dorado, one of the towns in Bolivar participating in the vote, that the elections were another step toward achieving "full sovereignty" for the territory. "We are focused on this task: to achieve through peaceful means... the recovery of the full sovereignty of Guayana Esequiba, in peace, with harmony, through diplomacy," Villamizar added. 'A threat' Ahead of the vote, Guyana's President Irfaan Ali had denounced the election as a "threat. Ali told AFP last week that Guyana "will do everything to ensure our territorial integrity and sovereignty is kept intact". The centuries-old dispute has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered massive offshore oil deposits a decade ago, giving Guyana the largest crude oil reserves per capita in the world. The territorial dispute is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, which earlier this month ordered Venezuela to suspend plans to extend its election to Essequibo. Maduro said Sunday, after casting his vote, Ali "will have to sit down with me to discuss and accept Venezuelan sovereignty." "With a governor, resources, a budget, and all the support I will provide, we will reclaim the Essequibo for the people," Maduro said. © 2025 AFP
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Slippery creature with ‘mask' found lurking on former prison island for 1st time
From a distance, an island just off the coast of Colombia looks like paradise. Luscious trees cover nearly 150,000 acres of protected land, now known as Gorgona National Natural Park. But when you get on the island, ruins of a prison sit reclaimed by the natural environment. Prior to 1984, the island was used as the site of a maximum security prison, likened to Alcatraz, reachable only by a two-hour boat ride and home to more than 1,000 prisoners throughout its history. A quarter of a century after its construction, however, an environmental and human rights campaign led to the closure of the prison and the island's establishment as a national park, according to the Colombian government. The park is now a stop for the more adventurous sightseers, or researchers cataloging the species that call the island home. During recent fieldwork as part of a project to survey the herpetofauna, or reptiles and amphibians, a research team found a small salamander lurking inside a rotting log, according to a study published May 12 in the peer-reviewed journal Check List. The log was on the edge of the forest, and surrounded by leaf litter and fallen debris, researchers said. Salamanders live in moist environments to keep their smooth, slippery skin wet in order to breathe, according to the Texas Wildlife Association. The animal inside was 'predominantly dark brown,' and covered in 'light blue spots,' according to the study. The head was lighter brown with a 'cream colored facial mask' that match the color of sporadic cream markings on the legs. The worm-like amphibian was identified as Oedipina villamizariorum, or Villamizar's worm salamander, but this brought more questions than answers for the research team. Villamizar's worm salamanders are known for 'elongated' bodies and 'cryptic habits' that make them 'especially difficult to detect in the field,' according to the study. They also have never been found on the island before. So far, the worm salamanders had only been found in Ecuador, but the species is externally very similar to another known species, O. complex, researchers said. Because the two species require genetic testing to confirm their separation, there is a chance that salamanders that were actually O. villamizariorum were misidentified as O. complex in the past, according to the study. Previous study of the Villamizar's worm salamander in Ecuador suggested the species be listed as 'critically endangered,' researchers said, citing an incredibly small geographic range. Now, with the extended range into Colombia, that could be reconsidered. 'Expanding the species' range to Gorgona National Natural Park represents an important conservation contribution. Nevertheless, the record remains limited to a single population isolated from the mainland and confined to only (about 10 square miles),' researchers said. 'This report underscores the need for further field surveys and research, particularly in areas where the species' presence remains unconfirmed.' Gorgona National Natural Park is located off the southern coast of Colombia in the Pacific Ocean. The research team includes Ana M. Saldarriaga-Gómez, Augusto Acosta-Peña, Damián S. Pardo, Darío Alarcón-Naforo and Esteban Betancourt.
