Above the twinkling Christmas lights of Oslo’s Grand Hotel, Maria Corina Machado emerged through a small white doorway onto a balcony, greeted by a cheering crowd of dozens of supporters. Smiling widely with her palms pressed together in front of her face, the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate appeared in public on Thursday for the first time in almost a year.
Dressed in jeans and a black puffer jacket, the 58-year-old then pressed one hand to her chest and joined the crowd in singing the Venezuelan national anthem, “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo” — Glory to the Brave People. Despite the late hour and chilly 4 degrees Celsius temperature, people lined the street to catch a glimpse of Ms. Machado. Within minutes, she descended from the balcony to greet them with hugs and waves alongside members of her family.
“I want you all back in Venezuela,” she said as people lifted their phones to capture the moment. The crowd responded with chants of “gracias Maria” — a message of thanks, “libertad” — the Spanish word for “freedom,” and her political slogan “hasta el final,” meaning “until the end,” which she had used to describe her fight to restore democracy to Venezuela.
Machado’s Dramatic Escape from Venezuela
Ms. Machado had been living in hiding in Venezuela since January, fearing for her safety under the regime of President Nicolás Maduro Moros. She secretly left Venezuela in defiance of a decade-long travel ban imposed upon her by the Maduro government, which had warned she would be labelled a “fugitive” if she travelled to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
During her time in exile, tensions between Mr. Maduro and the United States escalated. US President Donald Trump ordered a massive military build-up in the Caribbean Sea, including the world’s largest aircraft carrier, claiming it was aimed at combating drug trafficking.
For days, Ms. Machado’s whereabouts were shrouded in mystery after members of the Nobel Committee and her political party, Vente Venezuela, announced she would be travelling to Oslo. While in hiding, she released short political messages on the party’s YouTube channel, always in front of a nondescript white background that revealed no hints of her location.
A Symbolic Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance
On Wednesday, local time, her daughter Ana Corina Sosa accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf, as Ms. Machado was unable to attend the committee’s awards ceremony in time. In her speech, read by Ms. Sosa, Machado emphasized the prize’s profound significance for her country and the world.
“It reminds the world that democracy is essential to peace,” Machado stated.
Ms. Machado has been seen in public only once since going into hiding in August last year — during a brief appearance in January at a protest rally ahead of Mr. Maduro’s inauguration, where she was briefly detained. Ahead of the award ceremony, the Nobel Institute was unaware of her whereabouts or if she would be in Oslo to accept the prize.
According to Reuters, she managed to leave Venezuela by boat on Tuesday, crossing the 65-kilometer stretch of the Caribbean Sea to Curaçao. She arrived in Oslo on a private jet, which Flightradar data showed had flown from Curaçao’s capital Willemstad to Bangor, Maine, before landing in Norway.
International Support and Future Implications
Prominent Latin American political figures attended the award ceremony, including Argentine President Javier Milei, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña. The Nobel Committee announced Ms. Machado as the Peace Prize recipient on October 10, with chairperson Jørgen Watne Frydnes describing Venezuela as having evolved into a “brutal authoritarian state.”
Frydnes highlighted Machado as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in recent Latin American history.”
The honor followed her victory in an opposition primary election in 2023, with intentions to challenge Mr. Maduro in the 2024 presidential election. However, the government barred her from running for office. She appointed former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia as the opposition’s candidate, who reportedly won against Mr. Maduro with at least 70 percent of the vote.
Despite the opposition’s claims, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, loyal to the Maduro regime, declared Mr. Maduro the winner. Mr. Gonzalez fled and sought asylum in Spain, while Ms. Machado attended multiple protest rallies before going into hiding.
The emergence of Maria Machado in Oslo marks a significant moment in her ongoing struggle for democracy in Venezuela. Her appearance and the support she received underscore the international attention and solidarity surrounding her cause. As she continues her fight, the world watches closely, anticipating the next steps in Venezuela’s tumultuous political landscape.
