Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado Resurfaces in Oslo After Nobel Peace Prize Win

Norway:

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado emerged from nearly a year in hiding to greet supporters in Oslo on Thursday following her Nobel Peace Prize win.

The circumstances surrounding Machado's journey to Norway remain unclear, as does her plan for returning to Venezuela, which had threatened to consider her a fugitive if she left the country.

"Of course I'm going back," she affirmed to the BBC. "I know exactly the risks I'm taking."

"I'm going to be in the place where I'm most useful for our cause," she continued. "Until a short time ago, the place I thought I had to be was Venezuela, the place I believe I have to be today, on behalf of our cause, is Oslo."

According to the Nobel Institute, Machado undertook a journey of "extreme danger" and did "everything in her power to come to the ceremony," though she ultimately arrived too late to personally receive her prize.

Her daughter accepted the award on Machado's behalf, delivering a powerful condemnation of "state terrorism" under President Nicolas Maduro's regime.

In a dramatic midnight appearance, Machado emerged on a balcony at the Grand Hotel, waving and blowing kisses to her supporters below—her first public appearance since January.

The elated crowd responded with songs and chants of "libertad" (freedom), as reported by AFP journalists.

Machado climbed over metal barriers to embrace her supporters, many of whom hugged her and presented her with rosaries.

She revealed the personal cost of her months in hiding: "For over 16 months I haven't been able to hug or touch anyone. Suddenly in the matter of a few hours I've been able to see the people I love the most, and touch them and cry and pray together."

Machado was scheduled to address the world at a press conference at 0915 GMT on Thursday.

The Nobel Institute honored Machado for "her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."

In her acceptance speech delivered by her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado, she urged Venezuelans to persevere: "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."

Machado has consistently accused Maduro of stealing Venezuela's July 2024 election, from which she was barred—a claim supported by much of the international community.

The opposition maintained that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who now lives in exile and was also present in Oslo, won the election.

Machado has largely remained in hiding since the election, with her last public appearance occurring on January 9 in Caracas during protests against Maduro's third-term inauguration.

Her decision to leave Venezuela carries significant personal and political risks.

"She risks being arrested if she returns even if the authorities have shown more restraint with her than with many others, because arresting her would have a very strong symbolic value," explained Benedicte Bull, a Latin America specialist at the University of Oslo.

Simultaneously, Machado's previous refusal to leave Venezuela had strengthened her political position and relevance.

"She is the undisputed leader of the opposition, but if she were to stay away in exile for a long time, I think that would change and she would gradually lose political influence," Bull observed.

Machado's mother, three daughters, and several Latin American leaders, including Argentine President Javier Milei, attended the ceremony at Oslo's City Hall.

In her acceptance speech, Machado condemned the kidnappings and torture under Maduro's leadership as "crimes against humanity" and "state terrorism, deployed to bury the will of the people."

While praised for her democratic advocacy, Machado has faced criticism for aligning herself with US President Donald Trump, to whom she dedicated her Nobel Prize.

The Oslo ceremony coincided with a significant US military presence building in the Caribbean and lethal strikes targeting alleged drug-smuggling vessels.

Maduro, who assumed power in 2013, insists these US operations—which Machado has defended as justified—aim to overthrow his government and seize Venezuela's oil reserves.