Global Rallies Honor Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize as Venezuela’s Crisis Deepens

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado staged demonstrations across several continents on Saturday to mark her Nobel Peace Prize win, ahead of the award ceremony set for next week. Marches took place in cities including Madrid, Utrecht, Buenos Aires and Lima, part of a coordinated effort by her movement to draw attention to ongoing demands for democratic change in Venezuela. Organizers expected events in more than 80 cities.

In Lima, demonstrators carried portraits of Machado and chanted for a “Free Venezuela,” many wrapped in the nation’s yellow, blue and red flag. Posters reading “The Nobel Prize is from Venezuela” were raised throughout the march. Venezuelan expatriate Verónica Durán, who has lived in Peru for eight years, said the prize resonated deeply with the diaspora. “It represents all Venezuelans, the fallen and the political prisoners in their fight to recover democracy,” she said.

The demonstrations come during a tense moment in Venezuela’s prolonged political crisis. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has increased its military presence in the Caribbean, repeatedly signaling the possibility of striking Venezuelan territory. President Nicolás Maduro has accused Washington of attempting to remove him from power, a claim opposition leaders have dismissed but which has intensified scrutiny of their activities.

In a video message shared earlier this week, Machado urged supporters to stay focused despite rising pressure. “We are living through times where our composure, our conviction and our organization are being tested,” she said. “Our country needs even more dedication because now all these years of struggle, the dignity of the Venezuelan people, have been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Machado won the Nobel on Oct. 10 for her efforts to push for a democratic transition, with the award committee praising her as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.” The 58-year-old politician secured victory in the opposition primary but was barred from competing in last year’s presidential election. Her place on the ballot went to retired diplomat Edmundo González, who had no prior experience running for office.

The period surrounding the July 28, 2024, election was marked by sweeping repression, including arrests, disqualifications and allegations of human rights abuses. Tensions escalated when the National Electoral Council — long aligned with Maduro — declared him the winner despite widespread accusations of electoral misconduct. González later sought asylum in Spain after a Venezuelan court issued a warrant for his arrest.

Machado, meanwhile, has been out of public view since Jan. 9, when she was briefly detained after joining supporters at a demonstration in Caracas that drew fewer participants than expected. Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term the following day, deepening concerns among rights groups and foreign governments about the country’s political trajectory.