Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

oslo: venezuelan opposition leader maria corina machado has won the nobel peace prize for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in venezuela, earning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”the former opposition presidential candidate is a “key, unifying figure" in the once deeply divided opposition to president nicolas maduro's government, said jorgen watne frydnes, chair of the norwegian nobel committee. “in the past year, ms. machado has been forced to live in hiding. despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions,” he said. “when authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.”machado says she's humbled and grateful“this is something that the venezuelan people deserve,” machado said in a call with the norwegian nobel institute. “i am just part of a huge movement... i'm humbled, i'm grateful and i'm honoured not only by this recognition, but to be part of what's going on in venezuela today.”she added, “i believe that we are very close to achieving, finally, freedom for our country and peace for the region. even though we face the most brutal violence, our society has resisted.”crackdown on dissentmaduro's government has routinely targeted its real or perceived opponents. machado, who turned 58 this week, was set to run against maduro in last year's presidential election but was disqualified. edmundo gonzalez, who had never run for office before, took her place.the election period saw widespread repression, including arrests and human rights violations. after the national electoral council—stacked with maduro loyalists—declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary, protests erupted nationwide, leaving more than 20 people dead. the fallout led to diplomatic ruptures between venezuela and several countries, including argentina.machado went into hiding and has not been seen publicly since january. gonzalez went into exile in spain after a venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant against him. more than 800 people remain imprisoned for political reasons, according to human rights group foro penal.some of machado's closest collaborators avoided arrest by taking refuge in a diplomatic compound in caracas for over a year before fleeing to the us in may.early friday in caracas, some residents expressed surprise at machado's nobel win. “i don't know what can be done to improve the situation, but she deserves it,” said sandra martínez, 32, at a bus stop.machado is the 20th woman among 112 individuals to receive the nobel peace prize.speculation about trump's nobel chancesbefore the announcement, speculation swirled that us president donald trump might win, following approval of his ceasefire plan for gaza. asked about lobbying efforts, watne frydnes said, “this committee has seen all types of campaigns. we base our decision only on the work and the will of alfred nobel.”white house spokesperson steven cheung said in a post on x that “president trump will continue making peace deals around the world, ending wars, and saving lives,” adding that the committee “proved they place politics over peace.” the white house did not comment on machado's award.when machado was included in time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in april, us secretary of state marco rubio described her as “the venezuelan iron lady” and “the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism.”hours after her nobel win, machado wrote on x: “today, more than ever, we count on president trump, the people of the united states, the peoples of latin america, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy. i dedicate this prize to the suffering people of venezuela and to president trump for his decisive support of our cause.”the peace prize is the only nobel awarded in oslo, norway. the other prizes—in medicine, physics, chemistry, and literature—were announced earlier this week in stockholm. the economics prize will be announced on monday.