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25m ago

Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Venezuela’s María Corina Machado

Committee leaders stressed independence from public campaigns, with the decision finalized before this week’s Gaza ceasefire news.

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CARACAS, VENEZUELA - JANUARY 9: Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during an anti-government protest on January 9, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. According to information shared by the Vente Venezuela Party, Machado was intercepted by government forces deployed by president Nicolas Maduro after finishing her participation in the rally. (Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures at a protest ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 9, 2025.
FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado waves from atop a truck during the closing election campaign rally for presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 25, 2024.

Overview

  • The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the opposition leader for promoting democratic rights and pursuing a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela.
  • Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes highlighted her decision to remain in the country despite threats and a year in hiding, describing her as a courageous unifying figure.
  • This year’s process considered 338 nominations, and the committee said it bases choices on Alfred Nobel’s will rather than lobbying or media pressure.
  • Coverage noted that President Donald Trump had pushed for the prize, but the committee reached its decision before his Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal announcement this week.
  • The prize is worth 11 million Swedish crowns and will be presented in Oslo on December 10; Machado was barred from the 2024 election and her ally Edmundo González is in exile in Spain.