In Venezuela, a polarizing peace laureate

Some viewed the news as signaling the beginning of the end of the economic, political and social calamity that, for the last decade, has engulfed Venezuela, prompting millions to flee their South American homeland.

- BY MERY MOGOLLON, PATRICK J. MCDONNELL, KATE LINTHICUM AND ANA CEBALLOS

MARÍA Corina Machado holds up vote tally sheets at a protest against President Nicolás Maduro in 2024.

"When I saw the news, I cried, hugged my children and prayed," said Mari Carmen Bermúdez, 34, a supermarket cashier in Caracas. "I feel like our nightmare will end soon."

Others said the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado — a veteran antigovernment activist who lives here in hiding — was just the latest chapter in the U.S.-led plot to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro.

"In my opinion, señora Machado has never called for peace in the country, only for war," said Yober David Avalos, 28, an appliance repairman and motorcycle taxi driver. "I don’t think she’s a persecuted politician. From her hideout she has called for an invasion of Venezuela."

The mixed reactions to Machado's award, both in Venezuela and across the continent, reflect the complicated politics and shifting alliances in the region. The conservative president of Argentina and the leftist leader of Colombia both Machado congratulated Cuba denounced as "shameful" the decision to honor "a person who instigates military intervention in her Homeland." Mexico's leftist President Claudia Sheinbaum, the region's top woman leader, declined to comment.

Some observers wonder whether the award could encourage more aggressive U.S. behavior against Maduro, whom the White House has branded a "narco-terrorist." There was no immediate official reaction in Venezuela to Machado's award. The news generated international headlines but was ignored by official news channels.

On social media, Machado declared that the opposition was "on the threshold of victory," and pointedly dispatched verbal bouquets to Trump.

"I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!" Machado wrote.