Venezuelan activist and opposition leader María Corina Machado recently received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her efforts to promote democratic rights and push for a peaceful end to Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship.
Her win came as tensions between Caracas and Washington escalated following a series of United States military strikes on vessels off Venezuela’s coast and renewed accusations of drug trafficking against Maduro’s government.
‘Energy, hope, strength’ for Venezuelan people
On October 10, the Nobel committee awarded the peace prize to Machado for her “tireless work for the people of Venezuela”, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Jørgen Watne Frydnes said, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
Machado, who has been in hiding since Maduro won a disputed election in 2024, was also hailed for her “civilian courage” despite the threats against her life and called a “key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided… in a brutal authoritarian state that is now suffering a humanitarian and economic crisis”.
In response, she likened the award to an “injection” for her political movement, stating that it infused “energy, hope, strength on the Venezuelan people because we realise that we are not alone”, the BBC reported.
Last year, Machado attempted to challenge Maduro in Venezuela’s presidential election, but the Supreme Court disqualified her candidacy, citing what the opposition called politically motivated restrictions aimed at silencing dissent.
She had previously won a primary vote in 2023 before the courts banned her from holding public office for 15 years.
The Caracas native later threw her support behind fellow opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia and focused on rallying voters and training election monitors to safeguard the integrity of the vote.
READ MORE: Norway expresses regret over Venezuela’s decision to close embassy in Oslo
Award sparks backlash from Trump, Maduro
Despite the award’s potentially positive impact on her democratic movement, Machado’s Nobel success was met with backlash from both US President Donald Trump, who had been explicitly vying for the same prize, and the Maduro regime.
The controversy surrounding her recognition unfolded amid escalating tensions between Caracas and Washington after the US military destroyed four Venezuelan boats, which they labelled “narco-trafficking vessels”, on September 2.
21 people were killed according to a report by the BBC and the action was condemned as a violation of international law.
Trump has also authorised the CIA to conduct operations inside Venezuela.
Machado, however, defended the controversial strikes.
Accusing Maduro’s Venezuela of being a “real threat to the national security of the United States”, she emphasised that the US president was needed to “stop this war”.
“In the case of Maduro and his criminal narco-terrorism structure, [it] is [supported] through drug trafficking, gold trafficking, arms trafficking, even human trafficking, and we need to cut those flows from coming in,” Machado told CNN.
Venezuela, in response, closed its embassy in Oslo days after her win, while Maduro himself called her a “demonic witch”.
The Norwegian government has since distanced itself from the situation, stating that the Nobel Prize “is independent of the Norwegian government”.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Louvre on lockdown: Jewel thieves strike Paris museum
Machado praises Trump, aligns with Israel
During the interview with CNN, Machado called on Trump to stop the “war” in Venezuela and help remove Maduro from power.
She also remarked that the US president “absolutely” deserves his own Nobel Peace Prize due to the “incredible events that are taking place currently in the world” – an apparent reference to Trump’s attempts to advance peace in the Middle East.
Additionally, the Peace Prize winner expressed support for Israel in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, welcoming the return of the Israeli hostages under the recent ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Turkish public broadcaster TRT World revealed.
She moreover expressed appreciation for “Israel’s efforts against Iran”.
Netanyahu, in return, congratulated Machado and praised her efforts for peace and democracy.
READ NEXT: With nuclear pact over, US-Iran tensions enter new phase
Adam Peaker 
Hyacinth Estrada 
Ian Trinidad