, struggle for control of their leftist bloc.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s defense chief warned on Wednesday that any residents who participate in upcoming elections organized by neighboring Venezuela overwill be charged with treason and other felony crimes.

“If anyone participates or takes any similar action, it will amount to support for a passive coup,” Brig. Gen. Omar Khan told The Associated Press. “Anything along those lines will speak to a violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”The May 25 election organized by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is the latest step in a push to annex the, which Venezuela has long claimed as its own.

Venezuelans living in Guyana who become involved in Sunday’s elections could also face arrest and deportation, Khan added.Nearly 100,000 people of direct or indirect Venezuelan ancestry currently live in Guyana, according to Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud.

“Shouldn’t this reality give all Guyanese a cause to be alert? People’s vigilance is equivalent to people’s power and defense,” Persaud said in a recent social media post.

The Essequibo region represents two-thirds of Guyana and is rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. It also is located close toInternal Revenue Service National Office, Chattanooga, Tenn. (17,786 square feet)

Geological Survey, Cheyenne, Wyo. (9,521 square feet)Federal Transit Administration, Chicago, Ill. (13,531 square feet)

Rural Housing Service, Christiansted, V.I. (4,439 square feet)Federal Trade Commission, Cleveland, Ohio (9,340 square feet)