Cynthia Ezegwu
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela and former United States President Donald Trump, whom she credited for his “decisive support” for her country’s pro-democracy movement.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Machado wrote, “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
She added, “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.”
Machado, 58, has been in hiding for the past year following Venezuela’s disputed elections, which opposition leaders and much of the international community have accused President Nicolas Maduro of rigging.
Barred from contesting the election, Machado supported her proxy candidate, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who many international observers regard as the rightful winner.
In awarding her the Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Machado 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.”
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Machado has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s tough stance on Maduro, including the U.S. naval deployment near Venezuelan waters, which she has described as “a necessary measure” to advance democratic change.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared Machado’s post dedicating the Nobel to Trump on her X account.
Several Venezuelan opposition figures, including former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, congratulated Machado on the award.
“May this recognition be another boost to achieve peace and for our Venezuela to leave behind suffering and recover the freedom and democracy for which it has fought for so many years,” Capriles wrote on X.