Overview

• The committee said it honored Machado for promoting democratic rights and pursuing a just, peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
• Machado has lived in clandestinity inside Venezuela since a brief arrest in January 2025, with her current location undisclosed.
• She became the unified opposition’s standard-bearer after winning the 2023 primary with over 90% of the vote but was barred from the July 2024 presidential election.
• Independent tallies indicated the opposition won that 2024 vote as Nicolás Maduro claimed victory and stepped up repression, prompting ally Edmundo González to go into exile in Spain.
• Reactions diverged internationally, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offering congratulations while White House spokesman Steven Cheung accused the Nobel body of politicization, which the committee countered by invoking Alfred Nobel’s will.