The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Venezuela needs a rights-based path to political change as it welcomed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s return and said her presence may bolster peaceful democratic organizing.
It said a transition should protect fundamental rights, give people a role in political life and include free elections. The committee awarded Machado the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
Machado returned Sunday after 10 months abroad and was greeted by tens of thousands of supporters, Reuters reported. Reuters also reported that she was excluded from the 2024 presidential contest against then-President Nicolas Maduro and left Venezuela after authorities cracked down on opposition groups.
Several earlier efforts to return had strained Machado’s ties with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, Reuters reported. EconoTimes previously covered Machado’s return and her party’s plans for a 2027 vote.
