After more than a year mostly spent in hiding and in defiance of a decade-long travel ban, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado arrived in Norway on Thursday, hours after a ceremony to award her the Nobel Peace Prize, Reuters reported.
The head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee confirmed Machado had arrived.
The decision by María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, to emerge from hiding and leave the country has electrified her movement but carries political risks, according to the New York Times.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in Norway for promoting democratic rights in her country and her struggle to achieve a transition to democracy, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
Ana Corina Sosa, the daughter of María Corina Machado, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of her mother.
In an exclusive phone call, Maria Corina Machado told the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, “As soon as I arrive, I will be able to embrace all my family and my children that I have not seen for two years and so many Venezuelan-Norwegians that I know share our struggle.”
She gave the remarks just before she was on her way to board the flight to Oslo, Norway.
Machado hopes to attend the various activities during the upcoming days but will unfortunately not attend the peace prize ceremony. At the prize ceremony, Maria Corina Machado's daughter will represent her - stay tuned for the award ceremony that will start shortly.
Machado, 58, has been banned by the government of President Nicolas Maduro from leaving Venezuela since 2014, and an acceptance speech was delivered on Wednesday in her absence by her daughter.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the prize to Machado for her fight against what it called a dictatorship.
Who is Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado?
Maria Corina Machado, 58, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on October 7, 1967. She is an industrial engineer by training, and her father was a prominent businessman in Venezuela's steel industry. Her upper-class roots have made her a target of criticism from Venezuela's governing socialist party, Reuters reported.
When did she go into hiding?
Machado won a resounding victory in the opposition's primary election in 2023 and her rallies attracted large crowds, but a ban from holding public office prevented her from running for president against Nicolas Maduro in an election in 2024 and she went into hiding.
The country's electoral authority and top court say Maduro, whose time in office has been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, won the election, though they have never published detailed tallies.
Machado emerged from hiding to make a brief appearance during a protest before Maduro's inauguration in January. She was briefly arrested and then freed.
(With inputs from agencies)
