Overview

• The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored Machado for defending democratic rights and pressing for a just, nonviolent transition from dictatorship to democracy.
• Machado dedicated the prize to the Venezuelan people and to President Donald Trump in a post on X, and Trump said she phoned him after the announcement.
• The White House criticized the choice as putting “politics over peace,” despite Nobel procedures indicating nominations closed in January and the decision was made before the Gaza deal.
• Machado has long faced repression, was barred from the 2024 presidential ballot by Venezuela’s election authorities, and has spent recent months in hiding.
• European leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen publicly congratulated Machado.