CARACAS:&nbsp;Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize on Friday to the people of Venezuela &mdash; and US President Donald Trump, for his &quot;decisive support&quot; for her country&#39;s pro-democracy movement. &quot;I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!&quot; she wrote on X. &quot;We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,&quot; she added. Machado has been in hiding in Venezuela for the past year since elections that authoritarian leftist President Nicolas Maduro is accused of stealing. Machado, who was barred &nbsp;from contesting the election, campaigned instead for her stand-in, ex-diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, seen by much of the international community as the rightful winner. The Nobel Committee cited her &quot;tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.&quot; Machado, 58, has backed Trump&#39;s ongoing campaign of military pressure on Maduro, including a major US naval deployment near Venezuela, as a &quot;necessary measure&quot; towards a democratic transition in Venezuela. White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, shared Machado&#39;s post dedicating her Nobel to Trump on her X account. Several of Machado&#39;s fellow opposition leaders, including two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, congratulated her on her prize. &quot;May this recognition be another boost to achieve PEACE and for our Venezuela to leave behind the suffering and recover the freedom and democracy for which it has fought for so many years,&quot; Capriles wrote on X. Trump says he spoke with Machado after White House criticizes Nobel snubSeparately, US President Donald Trump said that Machado called him and said she accepted the prize in his honor, after the White House said earlier in the day that the Nobel Committee had chosen &quot;politics over peace.&quot; The White House had criticized the Nobel Committee&#39;s decision to grant the peace prize to the Venezuelan opposition leader instead of Trump, who aggressively lobbied for the award and touted his role in brokering international ceasefire deals. &quot;President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will,&quot; White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a post on X. &quot;The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.&quot; Asked about the Nobel on Friday evening, Trump did not directly criticize the Committee&#39;s decision, but he credited himself for resolving several wars and said Machado might have given him the award if he asked. &quot;The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today, called me, and said, &#39;I&#39;m accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it,&#39;&quot; Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. &quot;It&#39;s a very nice thing to do. I didn&#39;t say, &#39;Then give it to me,&#39; though I think she might have. She was very nice.&quot;

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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelans and Donald Trump, praising his support for Venezuela’s pro-democracy struggle amid ongoing repression under President Nicolas Maduro

Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado dedicates award to Trump

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Mar&iacute;a Corina Machado, a prominent Venezuelan opposition leader, was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her relentless struggle against dictatorship and her advocacy for democracy in Venezuela.&nbsp;Born on October 7, 1967, in Caracas, the 58-year-old industrial engineer is the daughter of a well-known businessman in Venezuela&rsquo;s steel industry.&nbsp;In 2002, Machado co-founded the civic organization S&uacute;mate, which promotes free and fair elections &mdash; an effort highlighted by the Nobel Committee in its announcement. A former lawmaker, she represented Miranda state in the Venezuelan National Assembly from 2011 to 2014 and has led the center-right party Vente Venezuela since 2012.&nbsp;Machado rose to prominence as one of the main voices challenging President Nicol&aacute;s Maduro&rsquo;s rule. She played a leading role in the 2014 anti-government protests, which called for democratic reforms and an end to political repression.&nbsp;In 2024, Venezuela&rsquo;s courts barred her from running for president, preventing her from challenging Maduro, who has been in power since 2013. Undeterred, Machado threw her support behind her replacement, Edmundo Gonz&aacute;lez, a former ambassador, and campaigned vigorously on his behalf. Her rallies drew thousands of supporters across the country, symbolizing the strength and resilience of Venezuela&rsquo;s democratic movement.&nbsp;According to local media reports, Machado has been in hiding since January 2025, amid growing government pressure and threats against opposition leaders.&nbsp;In a statement announcing her selection, the Nobel Committee said:&nbsp;&ldquo;Mar&iacute;a Corina Machado meets all three criteria stated in Alfred Nobel&rsquo;s will for the selection of a Peace Prize laureate. She has united her country&rsquo;s opposition, resisted the militarization of Venezuelan society, and remained steadfast in her pursuit of a peaceful transition to democracy.&rdquo;&nbsp;Machado is known for her pro-democracy and pro-market stance, advocating for the privatization of state-run enterprises, including the national oil company PDVSA.&nbsp;Her Nobel win marks a historic moment &mdash; she becomes the first Venezuelan and the seventh Latin American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, joining a distinguished list of regional figures recognized for advancing peace and human rights.&nbsp;Machado&rsquo;s award, observers say, not only honors her personal courage but also shines a global spotlight on Venezuela&rsquo;s ongoing struggle for democratic freedoms.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful resistance to Nicolás Maduro’s rule, uniting the opposition and promoting democracy amid repression and political exclusion in Venezuela

Who is María Corina – the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner

Reuters

OSLO:&nbsp;Venezuelan opposition leader Mar&iacute;a Corina Machado, an industrial engineer and founder of the vote-monitoring organization S&uacute;mate, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long advocacy for democracy and human rights in Venezuela. <p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-pan-x: ; --tw-pan-y: ; --tw-pinch-zoom: ; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-gradient-from-position: ; --tw-gradient-via-position: ; --tw-gradient-to-position: ; --tw-ordinal: ; --tw-slashed-zero: ; --tw-numeric-figure: ; --tw-numeric-spacing: ; --tw-numeric-fraction: ; --tw-ring-inset: ; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-blur: ; --tw-brightness: ; --tw-contrast: ; --tw-grayscale: ; --tw-hue-rotate: ; --tw-invert: ; --tw-saturate: ; --tw-sepia: ; --tw-drop-shadow: ; --tw-backdrop-blur: ; --tw-backdrop-brightness: ; --tw-backdrop-contrast: ; --tw-backdrop-grayscale: ; --tw-backdrop-hue-rotate: ; --tw-backdrop-invert: ; --tw-backdrop-opacity: ; --tw-backdrop-saturate: ; --tw-backdrop-sepia: ; --tw-contain-size: ; --tw-contain-layout: ; --tw-contain-paint: ; --tw-contain-style: ; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variant-emoji: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; font-family: Knowledge; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted">She won &quot;for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,&quot; the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its citation.<p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-pan-x: ; --tw-pan-y: ; --tw-pinch-zoom: ; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-gradient-from-position: ; --tw-gradient-via-position: ; --tw-gradient-to-position: ; --tw-ordinal: ; --tw-slashed-zero: ; --tw-numeric-figure: ; --tw-numeric-spacing: ; --tw-numeric-fraction: ; --tw-ring-inset: ; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-blur: ; --tw-brightness: ; --tw-contrast: ; --tw-grayscale: ; --tw-hue-rotate: ; --tw-invert: ; --tw-saturate: ; --tw-sepia: ; --tw-drop-shadow: ; --tw-backdrop-blur: ; --tw-backdrop-brightness: ; --tw-backdrop-contrast: ; --tw-backdrop-grayscale: ; --tw-backdrop-hue-rotate: ; --tw-backdrop-invert: ; --tw-backdrop-opacity: ; --tw-backdrop-saturate: ; --tw-backdrop-sepia: ; --tw-contain-size: ; --tw-contain-layout: ; --tw-contain-paint: ; --tw-contain-style: ; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variant-emoji: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; font-family: Knowledge; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Machado, a 58-year-old industrial engineer who lives in hiding, was blocked in 2024 by Venezuela&#39;s courts from running for president and thus challenging President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013.&quot;When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,&quot; it said in its citation. The lead-up to this year&#39;s award had been dominated by US President Donald Trump&#39;s repeated public statements that he deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee took its final decision before a ceasefire and hostage deal under the first phase of Trump&#39;s initiative to end the war in Gaza was announced on Wednesday. Ahead of the Nobel announcement, experts on the award had also said Trump was very unlikely to win as his policies were seen as dismantling the international world order the Nobel committee cherishes. The Nobel Peace Prize, worth 11 million Swedish crowns, or about $1.2 million, is due to be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will. <p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-pan-x: ; --tw-pan-y: ; --tw-pinch-zoom: ; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-gradient-from-position: ; --tw-gradient-via-position: ; --tw-gradient-to-position: ; --tw-ordinal: ; --tw-slashed-zero: ; --tw-numeric-figure: ; --tw-numeric-spacing: ; --tw-numeric-fraction: ; --tw-ring-inset: ; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-blur: ; --tw-brightness: ; --tw-contrast: ; --tw-grayscale: ; --tw-hue-rotate: ; --tw-invert: ; --tw-saturate: ; --tw-sepia: ; --tw-drop-shadow: ; --tw-backdrop-blur: ; --tw-backdrop-brightness: ; --tw-backdrop-contrast: ; --tw-backdrop-grayscale: ; --tw-backdrop-hue-rotate: ; --tw-backdrop-invert: ; --tw-backdrop-opacity: ; --tw-backdrop-saturate: ; --tw-backdrop-sepia: ; --tw-contain-size: ; --tw-contain-layout: ; --tw-contain-paint: ; --tw-contain-style: ; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variant-emoji: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; font-family: Knowledge; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted">

FILE - Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters at a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2025, the day before his inauguration for a third term. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

The opposition leader won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long advocacy for democracy and human rights in Venezuela. The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized her for promoting democratic rights and pursuing a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy despite political persecution.

Venezuela's Maria Corina Machado wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO: The winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 10. There are 338 nominees this year. Here is a look at how the award works: Who decides?The Norwegian Nobel Committee, comprising five individuals appointed by the Norwegian parliament, is proposed by Norwegian political parties. Their appointments reflect the balance of power in Norway&#39;s parliament. Who can win?Whoever fits the description set out in the 1895 will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, it says the prize should go to the person &quot;who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses.&quot; The more complicated answer is that the prize &quot;needs to be placed in the current context,&quot; according to Kristian Berg Harpviken, the secretary of the award committee, who prepares the work for the award body. He participates in the deliberations but does not vote. Who can nominate?Thousands of people can propose names, including members of governments and parliaments, current heads of state, university professors of history, social sciences, law, and philosophy, as well as former Nobel Peace Prize laureates, among others. This year, there are 338 nominees. The full list is locked in a vault for 50 years. How does the committee decide?Nominations close on January 31. Members of the committee can submit their nominations no later than their first meeting in February. They discuss all the nominations, then establish a shortlist. Each nominee is then assessed and examined by a group of permanent advisers and other experts. The committee meets roughly once a month to discuss the nominations. The committee seeks to reach a consensus on its selection. If it cannot, the decision is made by majority vote. Who is nominated?While the full list of nominations is kept secret, nominators are free to disclose them. Among the names disclosed this year are the International Criminal Court, NATO, jailed Hong Kong activist Chow Hang-tung, and Canadian human rights lawyer Irwin Cotler. The leaders of Cambodia, Israel, and Pakistan have said they nominated US President Donald Trump. Their nominations were made in spring and summer, after the January 31 deadline, so they are not valid for the 2025 prize. Could Trump win?Only if he changes his policies, according to Nobel experts who argue that he is at present dismantling the international world order that the award committee cherishes. Instead, the committee may wish to highlight a humanitarian organization, journalists, or a United Nations institution, they say. Or they could spring a surprise. What does the laureate get?A medal, a diploma, 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.19 million), and immediate global attention.

All you need to know about how the Nobel Peace Prize is decided, who nominates, how the committee selects from 338 candidates, and what makes the world’s most prestigious peace honor both secretive and globally significant.

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