Overview

• The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Peace Prize to Machado for advancing democratic rights and advocating a peaceful transition in Venezuela.
• Roughly 60 hours after the announcement, Nicolás Maduro mocked her as a folkloric “demonic witch,” rejected alleged foreign meddling, and promoted expanding indigenous militia structures.
• Machado says Venezuela is no longer a conventional dictatorship but a criminal “state cartel,” alleging state links to transnational crime and narcotrafficking.
• She dedicated the prize to Venezuelans and to President Donald Trump, pledged preparedness for the first 100 hours and 100 days of a transition, and urged campaigns and prayers for political prisoners.
• International reactions split, with a White House aide, Celso Amorim, and Vladimir Putin criticizing the choice as political, while analysts say the award could bolster external pressure on Maduro.