OSLO – Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado will not attend the ceremony for her Nobel Peace Prize later today in Oslo, despite earlier expectations that she would appear in some form. The Norwegian Nobel Institute confirmed to public broadcaster NRK that it does not know her current whereabouts but stated that she is certainly not in Norway.
Until recently, the committee had assumed Machado would participate in the event, though it repeatedly avoided clarifying whether this would be in person or via video link. It is now confirmed that she will not appear on stage. Her daughter, Ana Corina Machado, will accept the award on her behalf and deliver a speech written by the laureate herself.
Machado, a central figure in the Venezuelan opposition to President Nicolás Maduro, has been in hiding for months and has not appeared in public. The Maduro government has labeled her a fugitive, making any potential travel to Oslo highly sensitive and raising questions about her safety and ability to return to Venezuela.
The Nobel Committee announced in October that Machado had been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote democracy in Venezuela. The committee noted that democracy worldwide is increasingly under pressure. The Nobel Prizes are traditionally presented on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.