The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado who lives in hiding after attempting to run against President Nicolás Maduro.
Machado, 58, was recognized for keeping “the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness” and “ever-expanding authoritarianism in Venezuela.”
Despite speculation that President Donald Trump might win the prize for his role helping broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, among other things, Machado emerged as a late favorite on online betting platforms hours before the decision came.
She leads the Vente Venezuela opposition party, but was blocked from running as the nation’s president and expelled from office in 2014. She now lives in hiding and faces “serious threats against her life,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
“When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,” the committee said in a statement.
“Democracy depends on people who refuse to stay silent, who dare to step forward despite grave risk, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted, but must always be defended — with words, with courage and with determination.”
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