Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize for ‘civilian courage’

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who accepted the accolade in hiding in the country described by the Nobel jury as a “brutal” state.

- 

Ms Machado, the democracy activist who challenged President Nicolas Maduro in last year’s elections, has become a “unifying” figure in Venezuela, the jury said. She has refused to leave despite threats against her life.

She dedicated her award to the Venezuelan people and to US President Donald Trump, who had coveted it himself, as Washington steps up its pressure on Mr Maduro’s government.

“More than ever we count on President Trump,’ she wrote on X, citing his “decisive support of our cause”.

The 58-year-old told Nobel Institute director Kristian Berg Harpviken she was confident the opposition would secure a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela.