Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace prize amid ongoing political and humanitarian crises in her country. Despite nicolás Maduro’s disputed reelection in 2024-results not recognized by the U.S., the EU, and many Latin American nations-Machado continues to call for change, recently reiterating her desire for increased pressure on the Maduro government from Oslo, Norway. This report details Machado’s recent statements and the exceptional circumstances surrounding her travel to accept the prestigious award.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, reiterated her desire for a change in government in her country, calling for increased coercive measures against President Nicolás Maduro. The award comes as Venezuela remains deeply divided and faces a severe humanitarian and political crisis.
“I will welcome increasing pressure so that Maduro understands he must leave, that his time has come,” Machado said from Oslo, Norway, according to excerpts of an interview with CBS News broadcast on Friday, December 12. The full interview is scheduled to air on Sunday.
She was asked if she would support potential U.S. military intervention to overthrow the Venezuelan leader, following threats of ground operations from President Donald Trump. Machado stated she was not “aware” of any specific U.S. plans, but emphasized that this isn’t a “conventional regime change” given that elections have taken place in Venezuela.
Socialist leader Nicolás Maduro secured a third six-year term following a presidential election in 2024, results the opposition claims were fraudulent. The United States, the European Union, and many Latin American countries have refused to recognize the election results.
Secret Exfiltration
Facing potential arrest, Machado left Venezuela – where she had been living in hiding – under circumstances she has declined to detail. “I’m not going to give more information about my trip to Norway,” she told CBS.
The details of her departure were partially revealed to the press on Friday by Bryan Stern, a former U.S. military veteran who founded a company specializing in extracting individuals from dangerous zones.
Stern explained that disguises and decoys were used to facilitate the risky exfiltration. According to Stern, Machado successfully passed through ten checkpoints undetected, eventually boarding an old fishing boat to reach Curaçao, a small Dutch island. From there, she flew via private jet to Maine (northeast U.S.) to refuel before arriving in Norway late Wednesday night, missing the Nobel ceremony.
A Prize for the Venezuelan People
Machado emphasized to CBS the importance of her Nobel Prize “for the Venezuelan people.” “It’s a recognition for a nation that has fought relentlessly, courageously, against a criminal and narco-terrorist structure,” she said.
“I came to receive this prize, this reward, and I will bring it back to the Venezuelan people as soon as possible,” she continued, noting she had gone into hiding in Venezuela in August 2024, shortly after the presidential election from which she was barred from participating.
