Venezuela moved closer toward initiating Latin America's first inter-state military conflict in nearly 30 years Sunday, as voters approved plans to formally annex the disputed oil-rich western half of neighboring Guyana.
The controversial referendum passed with over 90% of the vote, according to Venezuela's National Electoral Council. Government authorities claimed that more than 10 million people participated in Sunday's vote, a figure that would exceed turnout even at the height of former president Hugo Chávez's popularity in the early 2000s; independent observers noted strikingly low attendance at polling stations across the country.
