Why María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize Has Set Off Political Storm? | World News

Amid global applause for María Corina Machado winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful struggle to restore democracy in Venezuela, the award also sparked harsh criticism from many quarters.

Some political opponents and left-wing commentators accuse Machado of being aligned with conservative European groups and too closely aligned with right-wing interests in the United States.

Critics argue that its support for international sanctions against the Venezuelan government contradicts the spirit of the peace prize, as sanctions could also deepen human suffering.

While many Venezuelan and global supporters celebrated the honor, others noted that the award would not immediately change the harsh realities facing Venezuelan immigrants who still face deportation in the United States.

The controversy escalated further when the US-based Muslim civil rights organization CAIR condemned the decision and called on the Nobel Committee to reconsider and withdraw the award.

Lawmakers from Venezuela’s ruling party condemned María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize win, calling it “shameful” and accusing her of fueling political unrest while aligning with foreign interests.

They argue that the award rewards someone they believe contributes to instability rather than peace.

In addition to the reactions, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also issued a strong statement condemning the Nobel Committee’s decision.

The group criticized Machado for his alleged support of Israel’s Likud party and his ties to far-right groups in Europe, saying the award was “unreasonable” and contrary to the values ​​the Peace Prize aims to promote.

“Ms. Machado is a strong supporter of Israel’s racist Likud Party, and earlier this year she made statements at a conference attended by European fascists, including Geert Wilders and Marie Le Pen, that explicitly called for a new Reconquista and referenced the ethnic cleansing of Spanish Muslims and Jews in the 1500s,” CAIR said in a statement. he said.

The strongest criticism of the Nobel Committee’s decision came from Pablo Iglesias, the former leader of Podemos and former Vice President of the Spanish government.

“The truth is that they could have given the Nobel Peace Prize directly to Trump, or even posthumously to Adolf Hitler, to give it to Corina Machado, who has been trying to stage a coup in her country for years. Let Putin and Zelensky share it next year. If it is already over…” criticized Iglesias in his profile on the social network X.

Venezuelan MP Willian Rodríguez criticized the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado and called out the leadership of the country’s far-right opposition.

Rodriguez, a member of the Venezuelan National Assembly and vice president of the Podemos party, said in a statement to TASS, “It is ugly and shameful that the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Machado.”