Overview

• The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Peace Prize to María Corina Machado for advancing democratic rights and a peaceful transition in Venezuela.
• In new interviews, Machado called Nicolás Maduro’s system a criminal “state cartel” and said it relies on repression funded by narcotrafficking, contraband, illegal mining and black-market oil.
• She advanced contested claims, including an FBI‑attributed figure that 24% of the world’s cocaine transits Venezuela, and she referenced a Chilean complaint to the ICC linking Tren de Aragua to figures such as Diosdado Cabello.
• Machado said her movement prepared a “first 100 hours/first 100 days” transition plan and intensified campaigns for political prisoners, including a global call to prayer.
• Roughly 60 hours after the Nobel announcement, Maduro derided her as a “demonic witch,” accused the opposition of seeking foreign intervention, touted pro‑government polling, and ordered accelerated formation of the Indigenous Bolivarian Militia.