Machado dedicated her award, in part, to U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he and the American people are ‘principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy.’
Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan politician and former opposition presidential candidate, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 10 “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement that Machado was “a brave and committed champion of peace” and a woman who “keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”
Ahead of last year’s Venezuelan presidential election, the socialist regime of President Nicolas Maduro allegedly targeted real or perceived political opponents.
In the lead-up to the election, “authorities intensified repression, targeting human rights defenders and opposition members with arrests and disqualifications, and tightening restrictions on civic space,” according to Human Rights Watch.
Machado was an opposition presidential candidate but was disqualified from running against Maduro in the 2024 election. She went into hiding and has not been seen in public since January.
“Machado has been a key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided – an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government,” the committee said.
“Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people.”
Edmundo González took her place in the election and was deemed by the United States and Spain to be the winner.
A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez, who is now living in exile in Spain, where he has been granted asylum.
Many Latin American and Western governments do not recognize the legitimacy of the socialist regime or the outcome of its elections.
Machado said that recognizing the struggles of Venezuelans reinforces their determination to achieve freedom.
“We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” she said in an Oct. 10 post on X.
“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
