On December 10, 2025, the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo became an emotional focal point for Venezuela’s ongoing struggle for democracy. Ana Corina Sosa, daughter of opposition leader María Corina Machado, accepted the prestigious award on her mother’s behalf, delivering a message that resonated far beyond the grand walls of Oslo City Hall. The event, attended by Norway’s royal family and dignitaries from across the globe, was marked by both celebration and a sense of poignant absence. Machado, the woman at the heart of Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement, remained in hiding, her physical presence replaced by her daughter’s voice and her own words read aloud to the world.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Machado the Peace Prize for what they described as her “struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy” in Venezuela. According to the BBC, the committee specifically highlighted her “civilian courage” and her ability to inspire millions, even while facing “serious threats against her life.” The award comes at a time when Venezuela’s political landscape is fraught with tension, uncertainty, and hope.
In the days leading up to the ceremony, speculation swirled regarding Machado’s ability to attend. The opposition leader has been in hiding since shortly after Venezuela’s disputed presidential election in July 2024, a contest widely condemned by the opposition and much of the international community as rigged in favor of incumbent President Nicolás Maduro. In an audio message released just before the ceremony, Machado assured supporters, “I am on my way to Oslo right now,” but confirmed she would not arrive in time. Her journey, she said, had involved “extreme danger,” and her representatives expressed optimism that she would participate in subsequent events, including a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and meetings with lawmakers.
Sosa’s speech, written by her mother, painted a vivid portrait of Venezuela’s past and present. She began by reflecting on the personal cost of activism—her own two-year separation from her mother—and expanded to encompass the pain and hope of a nation. “As I wait for that moment to hug her, to kiss her, to embrace her after two years, I think of the other daughters and sons who do not get to see their mothers,” Sosa told the audience, as reported by the BBC. She continued, reading Machado’s words: “We will hug again, fall in love again, hear our streets fill with laughter and music. All the simple joys the world takes for granted will be ours. Because in the end, our journey towards freedom has always lived inside us. We are returning to ourselves. We are returning home.”
Machado’s speech, published in full by WPLG Local10.com, traced Venezuela’s history from its audacious beginnings—citing the 1811 constitution, one of the earliest republican constitutions in the Spanish-speaking world—through its 20th-century oil boom and cultural flowering, to the present era of authoritarian rule and economic collapse. She described how Venezuela, once a beacon of democracy and prosperity in Latin America, has suffered under “a brutal dictatorship” that, since 1999, has “dismantled our democracy: violating the Constitution, falsifying our history, corrupting the military, purging independent judges, censoring the press, manipulating elections, persecuting dissent, and ravaging our extraordinary biodiversity.”
The speech did not shy away from the devastation wrought by decades of mismanagement and repression. Machado cited the collapse of Venezuela’s economy by more than 80%, poverty rates surpassing 86%, and the forced migration of nine million citizens. “These are not statistics; they are open wounds,” she wrote. Yet, the speech was ultimately a testament to resilience and collective action. Machado recounted how, in the face of despair, the opposition organized a primary election, relying on word of mouth and conviction rather than resources or media coverage. The result, she said, was a rebirth of national confidence and unity.
Machado’s personal journey has been emblematic of Venezuela’s broader struggle. Born in Caracas in 1967, she trained as an industrial engineer before founding Súmate, a volunteer group promoting political rights. Her activism led to her election to the National Assembly in 2010 and the founding of the Vente Venezuela political party two years later. Over the years, she has faced accusations of treason, expulsion from office, and threats to her safety. In 2024, after her candidacy for president was voided by Maduro’s regime, she threw her support behind Edmundo González Urrutia, only to see the election results contested and followed by a harsh crackdown. According to CNN, around 2,000 people were arrested, including many from Machado’s coalition. The United Nations has documented crimes against humanity during this period, with reports of torture and the detention of children and women under harrowing conditions.
The Nobel Peace Prize also cast a spotlight on Venezuela’s international standing. The U.S., under President Donald Trump, has increased pressure on Maduro’s government, deploying warships to the Caribbean and launching strikes on boats accused of drug trafficking. Machado has voiced support for these efforts, telling the BBC, “When you cut the inflows that come from drug trafficking, gold smuggling, arms smuggling, human trafficking, or the black market of oil, then the regime falls.” The U.S. maintains that its military presence is aimed at disrupting illicit trafficking, while Maduro’s government accuses Washington of attempting to engineer regime change.
The Venezuelan government’s response to the Nobel award was swift and dismissive. Maduro himself, speaking at a rally in Caracas attended by thousands and reported by CNN, downplayed the prize’s significance: “What matters to us is the life of the people, health, work, housing, the prosperity of our homeland, the new economy.” Vice President Delcy Rodríguez labeled the ceremony a “failure,” suggesting Machado’s absence was due to fear after protests in Oslo. State-aligned television channels in Venezuela ignored the event, airing instead statements from government officials and images of pro-government demonstrations marking the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Ines.
Despite these challenges, the Nobel Peace Prize has galvanized Machado’s supporters and drawn renewed international attention to Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement. The ceremony was attended by the presidents of Argentina, Panama, Ecuador, and Paraguay, all of whom have expressed opposition to Maduro’s ruling Chavismo movement. For many Venezuelans, the award is a symbol of hope and a reminder that their struggle is recognized beyond their borders.
As Ana Corina Sosa concluded her mother’s lecture in Oslo, she echoed the message that has sustained the opposition through years of hardship: “And more than anything, 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.”
The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo may have missed its laureate on stage, but the voice of María Corina Machado—through her daughter and her words—carried the weight of a nation’s longing for freedom and the belief that, one day, Venezuela will “return home.”
