The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado for her tireless work promoting democratic rights and her struggle for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
The Committee lauded Machado as a key and “unifying” figure in a political opposition that was previously divided. The award recognizes her as a courageous leader who, despite government repression and the invalidation of her own candidacy, refused to stand down and instead supported Edmundo González Urrutia in the elections.
In its announcement, the Committee stated, “The collective efforts of the opposition, both before and during the elections, were innovative, brave, peaceful, and democratic.” It highlighted the international support the opposition received after releasing vote counts from electoral districts that showed a clear victory. “However, the regime refused to accept the election result and clung to power,” the Committee added.
Machado was chosen from a total of 338 candidates this year, comprising 244 individuals and 94 organizations. She succeeds last year’s laureate, Nihon Hidankyo, the leading Japanese association for victims of atomic bombs. The decision leaves former U.S. President Donald Trump without the prize, which he had claimed on several occasions he deserved for his efforts to promote peace.
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