The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony will not count this Wednesday with the physical presence of the laureate, María Corina Machado. The Venezuelan opposition leader, symbol of the democratic resistance in her country, will not be able to attend the main ceremony at the Oslo City Hall. The news, confirmed by the director of the Nobel Institute, Kristian Berg Harpviken, came as a cold water for those who were expecting to see her lifting the award that distinguishes her as the first Venezuelan woman to receive this distinction.
“Unfortunately, she is not in Norway now and will not be on stage at Oslo City Hall at 13:00 today when the ceremony begins,” Harpviken explained.
“I’m on my way to Oslo.”
However, an audio released by the Nobel Institute and recorded by Machado herself to the chairman of the committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, raised hopes. In it, the leader assures: “I will be in Oslo, I am on my way to Oslo right now”.
The opponent continues in the message: “I am very happy to say that I will not arrive at the time of the ceremony, but I will go to Oslo and I am on my way to Oslo now”. She also mentions the presence in the city of many Venezuelans, her team, her children (whom she has not seen for two years) and her wish to be able to meet them soon.
The situation has been marked by a climate of uncertainty and logistical tensions, aggravated by her current clandestine situation in Venezuela. Since August 2024, Machado has been in hiding after denouncing the repression following the elections won by Edmundo González Urrutia, the results of which were not recognized by Nicolás Maduro.
An award received by his daughter
Since it is impossible for Machado to attend the main ceremony, it will be her eldest daughter, Ana Corina, who will receive the Nobel Prize on her behalf. The young woman, who has publicly represented her mother in other international forums, will receive the award accompanied by other family members, such as her grandmother, Corina Parisca, and her brothers Ricardo and Eliot.
“It would make me very sad, and it would be an injustice, if I had to take the role of collecting the Nobel for her,” Ana Corina had said in a recent interview.
An internationally recognized struggle
The Nobel Committee, through Frydnes, underlined the value of Machado’s effort: “Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Corina Machado has made every effort to attend today’s ceremony. A trip in a situation of extreme danger. Although she will not be able to attend the ceremony or today’s events, we are deeply pleased to confirm that she is well and will be with us in Oslo.”
From the Grand Hotel in Oslo, his mother also wanted to send him a message of encouragement: “My love, we love you very much. We love you more than ever, but not because you got an award… but because you are the way you are. We miss you so much, but we know that you are here: in a little corner of the soul of each one of us.
Political reactions and international presence
Machado’s physical absence has not prevented numerous international leaders from traveling to Norway to support her. Among them, Presidents Javier Milei (Argentina), José Raúl Mulino (Panama) and Santiago Peña (Paraguay), as well as U.S. Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar and Spanish Popular Party Congresswoman Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo.
Several of his main political allies, such as Edmundo González Urrutia, Magalli Meda, Pedro Urruchurtu and Claudia Macero, all members of the Vente Venezuela team, are also in Oslo.
A figure marked by persecution
Machado, who in recent years has been politically disqualified and subject to judicial persecution, has repeatedly declared her intention to continue the democratic struggle in Venezuela. Her team has not confirmed whether she managed to leave the country or the details of her possible arrival in Oslo. Even so, her recorded message has been interpreted as a reaffirmation of her commitment and her intention to appear publicly as soon as it is safe.
“This is a fight against a mafia. And that mafia is offering diamonds and gold to reward the one who catches María Corina,” denounced former mayor Antonio Ledezma from the hotel where the official guests are staying.
