Nobel Committee welcomes Machado’s return to Venezuela, calls for democratic transition
The committee hopes the opposition leader’s return will strengthen a peaceful campaign for democracy, while saying Venezuela still needs free elections and political rights.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee welcomed opposition leader María Corina Machado’s return to Venezuela on October 27, two days after she arrived back in the country. The committee said it hoped her presence would strengthen the democratic opposition’s peaceful campaign, according to Reuters reporting published by The Straits Times. It also said Venezuela still needs a democratic transition grounded in political rights and free elections.
The committee said it hoped Machado’s return would strengthen ‘the democratic opposition and its peaceful struggle for democracy.’ Its statement expressed support for that campaign; it did not announce an agreement with Venezuela’s government or a date for an election.
Why Machado’s return matters to Venezuela’s opposition
Machado returned on October 25 after 10 months abroad and was greeted by tens of thousands of supporters, Reuters reported. She had been barred from running against then-President Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 election and left Venezuela after a crackdown on the opposition. The committee’s response follows her return, which NewsJaws covered in its earlier report on the opposition leader’s arrival in Venezuela.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Machado plans to travel across Venezuela’s 23 states, including smaller communities, to rebuild her political campaign and press for a presidential election in 2027. That is her stated plan, rather than an election timetable announced by the interim government.
The committee’s call for free elections
‘Much has changed in recent months, but the task remains urgent,’ the committee said, according to Reuters. It said a democratic transition must rest on fundamental rights, political participation and free elections. Machado is the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, making the committee’s response a statement about a previous recipient as well as Venezuela’s political future.
Venezuela’s leadership changed after the US military captured Maduro in early January. His former vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, replaced him, Reuters reported. The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has worked with Rodríguez on oil deals while also supporting Machado. Those relationships form part of the political setting in which Machado is trying to revive the opposition’s election campaign.
Machado earlier gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump, saying it recognised his commitment to Venezuelans’ freedom, Reuters reported. Trump thanked her; the committee said at the time that the prize remains linked to its recipient even if the medal is given away. The committee’s latest statement focuses on rights and elections following Machado’s return.
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Sources and context
- Nobel Peace Prize committee welcomes Machado's return to VenezuelaReuters, republished by The Straits Times
- What María Corina Machado’s Return Means for VenezuelaThe Wall Street Journal, republished by Hindustan Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.