A member of the National Guard casts his vote during regional elections at a polling station in El Dorado, Bolivar State, Venezuela, on May 25, 2025. Pedro Mattey/AFP via Getty Images
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The U.S. government criticized the Maduro government on May 25 for attempting to elect for the first time a governor for Essequibo, a disputed region claimed by Venezuela and controlled by neighboring Guyana.
“The United States rejects all attempts by Nicolas Maduro and his illegitimate regime to undermine Guyana’s territorial integrity, including this latest sham election in the Essequibo region,” the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs wrote on X on May 25.
