Nobel winner’s daughter accepts prize on her behalf, as Machado says she’s on way to Oslo

By Lex Harvey, Stefano Pozzebon, Sophie Tanno, CNN

(CNN) — The daughter of Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado spoke of the country’s fight for democracy as she accepted this year’s Nobel Peace Prize in Norway on behalf of her mother, who was unable to attend the event.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate had been expected to attend Wednesday’s acceptance ceremony in Oslo, in defiance of a decade-long travel ban placed on her. She has been in hiding since last year, resurfacing only briefly at a protest in January against President Nicolás Maduro being sworn in after a disputed election.

Organisers of the ceremony on Wednesday said Machado was “safe” and was expected to arrive in Oslo in the near future. They added that she had “done everything in her power to attend today’s ceremony” but that “her journey involved extreme danger.”

Maduro’s government has warned she would be considered a “fugitive” by authorities should she leave Venezuela.

In an audio recording released by the Norwegian Nobel Institute before the ceremony, Machado, 58, said, “I am on my way to Oslo right now.” She thanked those who had “risked their lives” for her to travel to Norway.

Machado’s representatives said earlier on Wednesday that, despite being unable to attend the Nobel ceremony, they were “optimistic about her participation in the rest of the day’s events.”

Machado received the peace prize in October for tirelessly promoting democratic rights in Venezuela and “for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said. But Venezuela’s government condemned the move, accusing her of encouraging violence and collaborating with foreign powers.

Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, 34, said the prize carried profound meaning, reminding the world that democracy is “essential” to peace. She spoke of her hope that Venezuela would make an “orderly transition” to democracy.

“We will see grandmothers settle children on their laps to tell them stories not of distant forefathers, but of their own parents’ courage.”

“And more than anything, what we Venezuelans can offer the world is the lesson forged through this long and difficult journey: that to have democracy, we must be willing to fight for freedom,” she said.

Venezuelan free-to-air TV channels did not show the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Instead, several channels aligned with the government carried a statement from Maduro from Tuesday night in which he “thanked the people of Oslo for protesting” the award and for “standing with Venezuela.”

‘Ballots over bullets’

Machado has described her life’s work as promoting “ballots over bullets.” Born in the Venezuelan capital Caracas in 1967, she trained as an industrial engineer before getting involved in politics.

In 2002, she founded Súmate, a volunteer group that promotes political rights and monitors elections. She gained widespread attention in 2004 after participating in a failed effort to recall Venezuela’s then-President Hugo Chávez.

Machado was voted into the National Assembly in 2010. In 2012, she founded the Vente Venezuela political party and movement. Her platform included an economic model based on a free market, private property and respect for the rule of law.

Machado was among opposition figures in 2014 calling for a wave of protests against Maduro, who became president after Chávez’s death. During these protests, at least 43 people died, 486 were injured and 1,854 were arrested, according to the country’s Attorney General’s Office.

In March of that year, Machado spoke at the Organization of American States to denounce the government for allegedly committing human rights violations during the protests. In response, the ruling party removed her from the National Assembly, accusing her of treason and later of plotting assassinations, which she denied.

Last year, she attempted to run against Maduro in the country’s presidential election, but her candidacy was voided by the regime. She then switched her support to the party of fellow opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia. When government-aligned electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner, Venezuela’s opposition forces cried foul, saying they had evidence to prove González had won.

Pushing back against Maduro

After US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, the US launched a major pressure campaign against Maduro, amassing more than a dozen warships and thousands of troops off Venezuela’s Caribbean shores. The Pentagon says it’s part of a mission to disrupt drug trafficking from Latin America, but the Venezuelan government claims the move is aimed at driving Maduro out of power.

Machado welcomed the US pressure and has tried to build on it by rallying national and international support.

Last month, she published what she described as a freedom manifesto, in which she outlined her vision of a new Venezuela without Maduro.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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