Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado speaks during a Caracas press conference after Corina Yoris was barred from the 2024 presidential race, March 26, 2024. Gaby Oraa/Getty Images
Venezuela Nobel Peace Prize highlights democracy struggle
The award, announced in Oslo on Friday, recognizes Machado’s leadership in a nation facing deep political and humanitarian turmoil.
Machado, 58, was barred by Venezuela’s courts from running for president in 2024, preventing her from challenging Maduro in an election marked by international criticism and allegations of fraud.
She has lived in hiding for months, coordinating opposition efforts through encrypted messages and brief public appearances, according to local media reports.
“Oh my God, I have no words,” Machado said in a recorded phone call with Nobel Committee Secretary Kristian Berg Harpviken, later shared on social media.
“I thank you so much, but I hope you understand this is a movement, this is the achievement of a whole society,” she said. “I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve it.”
Machado dedicates award to Venezuelans and to Trump
Shortly after the announcement, Machado posted on X that she was dedicating the award to “the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Donald Trump for his decisive support of our cause.”
The former U.S. president, who has maintained strong opposition to Maduro’s government, has often claimed credit for Washington’s pressure campaigns against Caracas.
The White House reacted cautiously to the news, with spokesperson Steven Cheung stating that “President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives,” adding that the Nobel Committee “placed politics over peace.”
The Nobel Committee, chaired by Joergen Watne Frydnes, said its decision was based on “recognizing courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist authoritarian rule.”
“When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to acknowledge those who stand for liberty,” Frydnes told reporters in Oslo.
Global reactions to the Venezuela Nobel Peace Prize
The announcement drew praise from global human rights advocates and foreign governments who have long criticized Maduro’s administration for suppressing dissent and restricting press freedom.
The United Nations Human Rights Office described the award as “a recognition of the Venezuelan people’s aspirations for free and fair elections.”
In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—who nominated Machado for the prize in 2024 before joining Trump’s cabinet—said the recognition “honors the courage of an entire nation demanding freedom.”
Analysts say the award could strengthen Venezuela’s opposition movement, though it may also provoke new crackdowns by Maduro’s government.
Maduro has not commented publicly, but state media outlets dismissed the decision as “a political maneuver aimed at destabilizing Venezuela.”
Historic milestone for Venezuela and Latin America
Machado becomes the first Venezuelan and the sixth Latin American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Her recognition follows a tradition of honoring activists who challenged authoritarian regimes, including Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov in 1975 and Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991.
Political observers in Caracas say the prize could boost international pressure on Maduro’s government to allow fair elections and release detained opposition figures.
Venezuela has been mired in economic collapse for more than a decade, with hyperinflation, mass emigration, and collapsing infrastructure deepening public despair.
Maduro’s rule and ongoing U.S. tensions
Maduro, who has governed since 2013, was sworn in for a third term in January despite widespread allegations of vote manipulation and international calls for new elections.
The U.S. and several European nations do not recognize his government’s legitimacy, continuing to impose sanctions targeting top Venezuelan officials and state companies.
In recent weeks, the U.S. Navy intercepted several vessels allegedly linked to Venezuelan drug cartels, according to Reuters reporting.
Machado publicly supported the operations, saying in a Fox Noticias interview last month that “these actions save lives and confront the criminal networks destroying our future.”
Uncertain future for Machado’s participation
It remains unclear whether Machado will be able to attend the Nobel award ceremony scheduled for December 10 in Oslo.
Several laureates in the past have been prevented from attending due to imprisonment or exile, including Poland’s Lech Walesa and China’s Liu Xiaobo.
Her family has lived abroad since 2022 due to security threats, according to her spokesperson.
“This prize belongs to all Venezuelans who never gave up hope,” Machado said in a separate statement released after the announcement.
Symbol of resistance amid deepening crisis
The Nobel Committee’s decision underscores the ongoing international focus on Venezuela’s democratic crisis, human rights violations, and humanitarian emergency.
Related: Prime Minister Carney Announces Changes to Canada’s Foreign Worker Program
Analysts at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs say the award could “restore global attention to Venezuela’s transition efforts,” though challenges remain significant.
Frydnes said the committee’s role “is not to tell countries what to do, but to recognize those who inspire others to pursue peace.”
