This move comes just months after long-time President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika resigned from office following nationwide protests. | Read More</s>Guatemalans have moved a step closer to resolving a longstanding territorial dispute with neighboring Belize, voting to send the issue to the International Court of Justice.

Vote counts show that a plebiscite on the question passed overwhelmingly on Sunday, winning about 95 percent of the vote, though abstention was high.

However, Belize has yet to hold its own referendum as stipulated under a 2008 agreement with Guatemala, under which both countries would ask the court to take up the matter.

Guatemala claims some 4,200 square miles (11,000 square kilometers) of terrain administered by Belize — essentially the country’s entire southern half. It’s a dispute that dates back to the 19th century, when Spain ruled Guatemala and Britain controlled Belize.</s>GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - Guatemalans have moved a step closer to resolving a longstanding territorial dispute with neighboring Belize, voting to send the issue to the International Court of Justice.

Vote counts show that a plebiscite on the question passed overwhelmingly on Sunday, winning about 95 percent of the vote, though abstention was high.

However, Belize has yet to hold its own referendum as stipulated under a 2008 agreement with Guatemala, under which both countries would ask the court to take up the matter.

A woman is helped as she enters a polling station during a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in Guatemala City, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemala claims some 4,200 square miles (11,000 square kilometers) of terrain administered by Belize - essentially the country's entire southern half. It's a dispute that dates back to the 19th century, when Spain ruled Guatemala and Britain controlled Belize.

An electoral worker holds ballots marked "yes," during a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in Guatemala City, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

An indigenous woman casts her vote during a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in San Pedro Sacatepequez, Guatemala, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales talks with photographers after voting in a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in Guatemala City, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A polling official, left, marks the finger of a man with indelible ink during a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in San Pedro Sacatepequez, Guatemala, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

An electoral worker shows a ballot marked "yes," during a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in Guatemala City, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Juliana Chacat, 62, casts her vote during a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in San Pedro Sacatepequez, Guatemala, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

An electoral volunteer folds a ballot during a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in San Pedro Sacatepequez, Guatemala, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)</s>Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has called on the Latin American country's 7.5 million eligible voters to take part in a referendum on Sunday on whether the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should rule on a 200-year-old border dispute with neighboring country Belize.

A final resolution could see Guatemala, a former Spanish colony, gain legal control over territory and waters currently administered by Belize, once a British colony. The disputed area covers some 12,270 square kilometers (4,737 square miles) — about half of Belize.

The referendum is the result of a 2008 accord that would see the dispute over mainland, island and maritime territory sent to the court in The Hague, if the populations of Guatemala and Belize approve.

The English-speaking Belize will hold its own referendum using the same question at an unspecified date in the future.

A previous joint referendum initiative, also based on the 2008 accord, failed to take place in 2013.

Read more: Oxfam ex-chairman and former Guatemala president to face corruption trial

Guatemala's Morales has pushed for a broad turnout, telling Guatemalans that they have a "historic responsibility" to put the centuries-old dispute to rest.

The country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) has been providing information to Guatemalans on what they need to do to vote.

However, analysts believe that Sunday's popular vote in Guatemala could be marked by turnout as low as 10 percent. Past referendums in the country have seen abstention rates as high as 85 percent.

No minimum threshold of voter turnout is required in Sunday's referendum, meaning that whichever option receives the most votes will win, Europapress reported.

Guatemalans will receive a ballot with the question:

"Do you agree that any legal reclaim taken by Guatemala against Belize over continental and island territories and any maritime areas corresponding to said territories be submitted to the International Court of Justice for definitive resolution and that it also determine the borders of the respective territories and the area of each part?"

Final vote results are expected in five days, the Guatemalan news agency AGN said, with partial results available Sunday night.

A yes vote far from certain

Over 400 national and international election observers are in place around 2,782 Guatemalan polling stations for Sunday's popular vote, with some 39,000 national police on duty.

Guatemala's Attorney General, Thelma Aldana, described Sunday's referendum as an "improvised" process that gives Belize an advantage due to its later voting date. She said she would not be taking part in the vote, and a spokesperson from the Justice Ministry urged other Guatemalans to stay home.

Read more: Guatemala: 'You need to be really persistent to get information'

Belize's Ambassador to Spanish-speaking Guatemala, James Murphy, remarked on Belizean TV that a yes win in Guatemala, as well as a future yes win in his own country, remained uncertain.

It all started in 1783

The territorial dispute between Guatemala and Belize can be traced back to 1783 and 1768, when the Spanish Empire gave the British Crown right of access in areas of current-day Belize, though Guatemala maintains that Spain retained sovereignty over these areas.

While Guatemala gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Belize became the British Crown colony of British Honduras in 1862, renaming itself Belize in 1973 and earning its independence in 1973.

Guatemala has voiced its sovereignty claim over the disputed area since the 1930s, also periodically threatening to invade the area throughout the 20th century.

Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1991 without dropping its territorial claim.

The dispute has escalated tensions between the two neighbors in the past, such as two years ago when Guatemala mobilized 3,000 troops along the unmarked border zone after a Guatemalan teen was shot following a Belize border patrol coming under fire.</s>A polling official, left, marks the finger of a man with indelible ink during a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in San Pedro Sacatepequez, Guatemala, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. less</s>Guatemalans are voting in a referendum on their country's longstanding territorial dispute with neighboring Belize.

Sunday's ballot asks whether voters agree to send the issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, for a binding resolution.

However Belize would also have to make a request before the court would take up the matter.

Guatemala claims some 4,200 square miles (11,000 square kilometers) administered by Belize — essentially the country's entire southern half.

The area is home to a number of nature reserves and is sparsely populated for the most part, with scattered farming villages, fishing towns and some Caribbean beach tourism destinations.

The origin of the dispute dates back over 200 years to when Guatemala and Belize were Spanish and British colonies, respectively.</s>96 percent of voters in Guatemala on Sunday said yes to a referendum on how to resolve the territorial dispute with neighboring Belize.

7.5 million Guatemalan voters were called to decide whether or not to bring the dispute before the International Court of Justice with a view towards defining the frontier between the two nations.</s>Guatemalans voted Sunday in a referendum that could take the country a step closer to resolving a longstanding territorial dispute with neighboring Belize.

The ballot asked whether voters agree to send the issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, for a binding ruling.

However, Belize has yet to hold its own referendum as stipulated under a 2008 agreement with Guatemala, under which both countries would ask the court to take up the matter.

Guatemala claims some 4,200 square miles (11,000 square kilometers) of terrain administered by Belize — essentially the country's entire southern half.

The area is home to a number of nature reserves and is sparsely populated for the most part, with scattered farming villages, fishing towns and some Caribbean beach tourism destinations.

The origin of the dispute dates back over 200 years to when Guatemala and Belize were Spanish and British colonies, respectively.

Guatemala became independent in 1821 and argues that it inherited Spain's original claim on the territory.

Belize considers Guatemala's claim unfounded and says the borders were defined by an 1859 boundary convention between the United Kingdom and Guatemala, according to the website of the governmental Belize Referendum Commission.

Amid violence and crime by Guatemalan country dwellers in the disputed region, at least 10 of them have been killed by Belizean civilians or soldiers on patrol.

Diplomatic relations and even air travel between the two countries have also suffered at times as a result of the dispute.

Casting his vote Sunday, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said his country and Belize currently have cordial relations and the aim of the referendum is to ultimately resolve the conflict.

"It is a good step. After so many years fighting, I think it is right that we have a frontier," said Fernando Chajon, a masonry worker who showed off a finger dyed with indelible ink after voting in the town of San Pedro Sacatepequez.

However, chief prosecutor Thelma Aldana said Saturday night that she would not vote.

"The interests of the country have not been handled in the best way by endorsing a process whose signature should have been ratified in the moment," Aldana said. "Belize has an advantage by submitting the referendum to its people at a later date."</s>GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - Guatemalans voted Sunday in a referendum that could take the country a step closer to resolving a longstanding territorial dispute with neighboring Belize.

The ballot asked whether voters agree to send the issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, for a binding ruling.

However Belize has yet to hold its own referendum as stipulated under a 2008 agreement with Guatemala, under which both countries would ask the court to take up the matter.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales poses for photographers before voting in a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in Guatemala City, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemala claims some 4,200 square miles (11,000 square kilometers) of terrain administered by Belize - essentially the country's entire southern half.

The area is home to a number of nature reserves and is sparsely populated for the most part, with scattered farming villages, fishing towns and some Caribbean beach tourism destinations.

The origin of the dispute dates back over 200 years to when Guatemala and Belize were Spanish and British colonies, respectively.

Guatemala became independent in 1821 and argues that it inherited Spain's original claim on the territory.

Belize considers Guatemala's claim unfounded and says the borders were defined by an 1859 boundary convention between the United Kingdom and Guatemala, according to the website of the governmental Belize Referendum Commission.

Amid violence and crime by Guatemalan country dwellers in the disputed region, at least 10 of them have been killed by Belizean civilians or soldiers on patrol.

Diplomatic relations and even air travel between the two countries have also suffered at times as a result of the dispute.

Casting his vote Sunday, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said his country and Belize currently have cordial relations and the aim of the referendum is to ultimately resolve the conflict.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales looks to photographers as he casts his vote during a plebiscite on a border dispute with Belize, in Guatemala City, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A woman holds her ballot during a plebiscite concerning a border dispute with Belize, in Guatemala City, Sunday, April 15, 2018. Guatemalans are deciding whether their government should request the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute that dates back to 1821 when Guatemala won independence from Spain and its border with the United Kingdom's territory was being decided. Guatemala recognized Belize's independence in 1992 but did not recognize its border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)</s>Guatemala voted Sunday on whether to send a long-running border dispute with neighboring Belize to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final resolution.

Polls closed at 6:00 pm (0000 GMT) after 11 hours of voting, which took place “without reports of security incidents,” according to Supreme Electoral Tribunal president Maria Eugenia Mijangos.

But despite 7.5 million Guatemalans being summoned to the ballot box, the vote was marked by low turnout.

The disagreement, whose roots go back two centuries, has seen tensions spike from time to time. Two years ago Guatemala mobilized 3,000 troops along the densely forested unmarked border zone after an incident in which a Guatemalan teen was fatally shot.

A Belize border patrol had opened fire under being shot at, but an investigation by the Organization of American States ended up finding it not responsible for the teen’s death.

The referendum was agreed under a 2008 accord to send the dispute to The Hague-based ICJ, if the populations of Guatemala and Belize approved.

Observers from 25 countries were on hand to monitor the polling.

Belize has not yet fixed a date for its referendum on the issue, although officials say it could take place next year.

The Guatemalan plebiscite question asks voters to respond “yes” or “no” as to whether any legal claims by Guatemala against Belize relating to its territories “should be submitted to the International Court of Justice for final settlement” and boundary determination.

The country has an electorate of 7.5 million people, but analysts believe turnout could be lackluster, perhaps as low as 10 percent.

The head of Guatemala’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Maria Eugenia Mijangos, told reporters that voter apathy was a big risk. Efforts by Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales to boost turnout have foundered on the rocks of his low popularity.

On Sunday, Mijangos said: “We are calling on all Guatemalans, especially the youth making up the majority of the electorate, to participate, to go to polling stations to put in their vote on this very important issue which has taken so many years to find a solution to.”

Morales said as he voted that the two countries had “very good bilateral relations” and he hoped the dispute could be resolved.

Guatemala has made claims over more than half of Belize’s territory, dating to when its English-speaking neighbor was a British colony known as British Honduras.

The border issue goes back to 1783 when Spain — the former colonial power over what is now Guatemala — gave Britain the right to occupy the territory that became Belize and exploit its timber in exchange for combating piracy. A century later, it became a British colony.

In 1964, British Honduras won the right to self-government, then in 1973 renamed itself Belize.

Independence came in 1981, though a British military presence remained until the mid-1990s because Guatemala refused for a decade to recognize it as a new country.
Millions of Guatemalans are summoned to participate in a referendum in which they will determine if they submit to the International Court of Justice the territorial, insular and maritime dispute with Belize.