María Machado
María Machado, a Venezuelan democracy activist and winner of this year’s Nobel peace prize, has dedicated her award to US President Donald Trump.
The Norwegian Nobel committee announced Machado winner on Friday, an outcome the White House protested as “political”.
Numerous open campaigns and nominations from Pakistan and Israel had urged the Nobel committee to recognise Trump’s efforts to broker peace in war-torn regions. They touted the president’s endeavours as deserving of the prize.
Trump, who styled himself the “candidate of peace”, previously downplayed his chances of receiving the honour but continued to indulge conversations about a possible win.
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Just hours before Machado was announced winner, he reposted a video on his Truth Social platform making a case for why he deserved the honour.
The Nobel peace prize committee said Machado was chosen for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy”.
Trump has been a longtime critic of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro who has been accused of an authoritarian rule.
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In August, his administration doubled a reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, accusing him of being “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world”.
Speaking after her win, the 58-year-old activist acknowledged Trump’s efforts, noting that the award was a recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans. She also described it as a boost to “conclude our task”.
“We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” Machado said in a tweet.
“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
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Machado has been living in hiding after a violent opposition crackdown that trailed Maduro’s widely contested July 2024 election.
