Peace Nobel for Venezuelan Opposition leader Machado

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation, winning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness”.

The former opposition presidential candidate is a “key, unifying figure” in the once deeply divided opposition to President Nicolas Maduro’s government, said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee.

“In the past year, Machado has been forced to live in hiding,” Watne Frydnes said. “Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.”

“This is something that the Venezuelan people deserve,” Machado said in a call with the Norwegian Nobel Institute. “I am just part of a huge movement… I’m humbled, I’m grateful and I’m honoured not only by this recognition, but I’m honoured to be part of what’s going on in Venezuela today.”

Machado, who turned 58 this week, was set to run against Maduro in last year’s presidential election, but the government disqualified her. Edmundo Gonzalez, who had never run for office before, took her place. The lead-up to the election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations.

The crackdown on dissent only increased after the country’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary.

The election results announced by the Electoral Council sparked protests across the country to which the government responded with force that ended with more than 20 people dead. Machado went into hiding and has not been seen in public since January.

Machado becomes the 20th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, of the 112 individuals who have been honoured.

There had been persistent speculation ahead of the announcement about the possibility of the prize going to US President Donald Trump, fuelled in part by the President himself and amplified by this week’s approval of his plan for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Asked about lobbying for and by Trump, Watne Frydnes said: “We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what for them leads to peace. We base our decision only on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.” White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a post on X that “President Trump will continue making peace deals around the world, ending wars, and saving lives.” He added that “the Nobel committee proved they place politics over peace”. The White House did not comment directly on Machado’s recognition.

Machado wrote on X, “Today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the US, the peoples of Latin America and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy… I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause.”

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