In a development highlighting Venezuela’s ongoing political tensions, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will be conspicuously absent from Wednesday’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. The Nobel Institute confirmed to AFP that the 58-year-old activist, who currently lives in hiding, will not personally accept the prestigious award.
Erik Aasheim, spokesperson for the Nobel Institute, stated ahead of the 1:00 PM (1200 GMT) event that ‘She is not coming to the ceremony.’ Instead, Machado will be represented by her daughter at the formal proceedings honoring her achievements in promoting democracy and human rights.
The absence underscores the precarious situation facing Venezuelan opposition figures. Machado’s current whereabouts remain undisclosed, and it was uncertain prior to the ceremony whether she had successfully exited Venezuela amid the country’s political repression. Her inability to travel to Norway personally to receive one of the world’s highest honors serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing democratic movements in authoritarian states.
The Nobel Peace Prize recognition represents a significant international endorsement of Machado’s pro-democracy efforts against the Maduro government, even as she remains constrained within her nation’s borders.