Why is Nobel peace prize winner Maria Corina Machado not attending award ceremony | About the controversy

Machado's Nobel peace prize win was announced on October 10 this year for her non-violent struggle to restore democracy in her country.

Updated on: Dec 10, 2025, 14:15:19 IST

By HT News Desk

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Nobel peace prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who is also a Venezuelan opposition leader, will not attend the award ceremony in Norwegian capital Oslo on Wednesday, said head of the Nobel Institute Kristian Berg Harpviken.

When Nobel peace prize was announced, Maria Machado was described as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.” (File/AFP)

He added that Machado's daughter will accept the prize on her behalf.

While speaking to public broadcaster NRK ahead of the award ceremony which is scheduled to start at 1:00 pm (around 5.30 pm IST) at Oslo's City Hall , Harpviken said the he does not know where Machado is.

"I simply do not know where she is exactly," he said.

"It will be her daughter Ana Corina Machado who will receive the prize in her mother's name…her daughter will give the speech that Maria Corina herself wrote," he said.

Where is Maria Corina Machado and why is she not attending Nobel prize ceremony?

While it was previously indicated that Maria Corina Machado, 58, would attend the ceremony, on Tuesday, a press conference she was expected to addressed was cancelled.

She has not appeared in public for 11 months now and was last seen in public on January 9 this year before she went into hiding. During her last public appearance, Machado had joined a protest in Venezuelan capital Caracas from where she was briefly detailed, according to an AP report.

Machado's Nobel peace prize win was announced on October 10 this year for her non-violent struggle to restore democracy in Venezuela. She was described as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”

In 2024, Machado intended on challenging President Nicolás Maduro in presidential polls after winning an opposition primary election. However, she was banned from running for the race by the government and was replaced by retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who the opposition claimed had won the election.

A Venezuelan court had also issued a warrant for her arrest, following which she sought asylum in Spain in 2024.

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