María Corina Machado appears in Oslo after Nobel Peace Prize win
EPA/ShutterstockVenezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado emerged waving from the balcony of the Grand Hotel after hiding for months in Oslo, Norway, after winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Machado made the secret trip despite a travel ban and has remained mostly unknown since Venezuela’s disputed 2024 presidential election. He last appeared in public in January.
With a crowd cheering from a balcony on Wednesday, Machado placed his hand over his heart and sang along with his supporters, then stepped out to greet them in person.
Daughter Ana Corina Sosa, He received the award on behalf of his mother in the early hours of the day.
The Nobel Institute awarded Machado the Peace Prize this year for his “struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy” in Venezuela.
Machado then came out to greet supporters waiting behind metal barricades in the street.
“Maria!” “Maria, here!” They shouted in Spanish, many of them holding their phones aloft to record the historic moment.
At one point Machado climbed over the barriers to join them.
Reuters
AFP via Getty ImagesPrior to his appearance, there was speculation that he would travel to Norway for the awards ceremony.
The Nobel committee shared the audio recording of Machado saying, “I will be in Oslo, I am on my way.”
Following his Peace Prize win, Machado made a point to praise US President Donald Trump, who has been open about his ambitions for the Peace Prize and remains fixated on ongoing military tensions with Venezuela.
on wednesday, Trump announced that the US military seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. His administration claims the ship is under sanctions and is involved in “an illegal oil transportation network that supports foreign terrorist organizations.”
The Venezuelan government accused the United States of theft and piracy.
María Corina Machado spoke to BBC News chief presenter Lucy Hockings minutes after arriving in Oslo and just after her first public appearance in 11 months. Watch his exclusive interview on BBC News soon.
