OSLO, Norway (AP) – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Friday, recognizing her as a woman who “keeps the flames of democracy burning even in the darkest hours.”
Norwegian Nobel Committee Chairman Jørgen Watne Fridnes said the former opposition presidential candidate was hailed as a “key figure for unifying” the opposition, which was once bitterly divided against President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
“For the past year, Machado has been forced to live in hiding,” Watne Fridnes said. Despite serious threats to her life, she remained in the country, and her choice touched millions of people. It is vitally important that we recognize the courageous defenders of freedom who stand up and resist when authoritarians seize power. ”
He told the AP that the committee was able to contact Machado just before the announcement, but that “it was a surprise.”
Expelled opposition candidate celebrates
Machado’s ally Edmundo González, who lives in exile in Spain, posted a short video of himself speaking with Machado on the phone.
“I’m shocked,” she said, adding, “I can’t believe it.”
González congratulated Machado on winning the Nobel Prize in an article for X magazine, saying it was “a very well-deserved recognition of the long struggle of one woman and an entire nation for freedom and democracy.”
The Maduro regime has routinely targeted actual or perceived opponents.
Machado, who turns 58 this week, was scheduled to face Maduro, but the government disqualified her. González, who had never run for office before, replaced her. In the run-up to the election, there was widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests, and human rights violations.
suppression of dissent
of The crackdown on the opposition will only intensify. After the country’s National Electoral Council, solidified by Maduro supporters, declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary.
Protests erupted across the United States following the election results announced by the Election Commission, and the government responded with force, resulting in more than 20 deaths. These also prompted the termination of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and various foreign countries, including Argentina.
Machado has gone into hiding and has not been seen in public since January. A Venezuelan court has issued an arrest warrant for González over the publication of the election results. He fled to Spain and was granted asylum.
Before dawn in Caracas, few cars were still on the usually crowded streets of the Venezuelan capital, but some people on their way to work expressed disbelief at the news of Machado’s victory.
“I don’t know what we can do to improve the situation, but she deserves it,” said Sandra Martinez, 32, as she waited at the bus stop. “She’s a wonderful woman.”
Support for Mr. Machado and the opposition in general has declined since the July 2024 election and especially since January, when disappointments set in after Mr. Maduro was sworn in for a three-year six-year term.
Last year, Machado and González were awarded the European Union’s highest human rights honor. Sakharov Prize.
Machado is the 20th woman out of 112 people to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Speculation about Trump’s chances of winning the Nobel Prize
There was persistent speculation before the announcement that the award might be presented to the president of the United States. donald trumpprompted in part by the president himself, this week’s approval of his plan Toward a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Asked about lobbying for and by Trump, Watne Fridnes said, “I think this committee has seen all kinds of campaigns and media attention. We receive thousands of letters every year from people who want to advocate for what makes peace for them.”
“This committee sits in a room with portraits of all the laureates, a room filled with both courage and integrity. We therefore make decisions based solely on the achievements and will of Alfred Nobel.”
“President Trump will continue to forge peace agreements around the world that end wars and save lives,” White House press secretary Stephen Chan said in a post Friday morning. He added: “The Nobel Committee has proven that it cares more about politics than peace.”
Last year’s award-winning works were Japan Hidankyois a grassroots movement of Japanese atomic bomb survivors who have worked for decades to maintain taboos on the use of nuclear weapons.
The Peace Prize is the only annual award nobel prize The award ceremony will be held in Oslo, Norway.
Four of the other awards have already been presented this week in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. medicine on monday, physics on tuesday, chemistry Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The winners of the Economics Prize will be announced on Monday.
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García Cano reported from Mexico City and Moulson from Berlin. Jorge Rueda contributed from Caracas, Venezuela, and Mike Corder contributed from The Hague, Netherlands.
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Associated Press Nobel Prize coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nobel-prizes
