Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado revived Venezuela’s opposition

Reuters:

Oct 10 – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a 58-year-old industrial engineer, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. Over the past two years, she has reenergized a politically disengaged population after more than a decade of economic and social collapse.

Machado has been in hiding in Venezuela since 2024, when electoral authorities allied with President Nicolas Maduro declared Maduro’s reelection in a vote widely seen as rigged.

The government never posted official election results, but results collected by the opposition, verified by an independent election monitor, found the Machado-backed candidate had won in a landslide.

Married to a constitutional lawyer and mother of three, Machado impressed both experts and ordinary citizens with her work ethic and ability to connect with voters.

Her message was simple: Maduro leads a “mafia” that has looted the country and represses its people. Venezuelans are fed up, and the fight for democracy will continue until the government changes.

The Maduro government has called Machado a fascist and terrorist, accusing her of fomenting a right-wing conspiracy to overthrow his rule.