NEWSMAKER-Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado revived Venezuela's opposition

By Sarah Kinosian Oct 10 (Reuters) – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a 58-year-old industrial engineer, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. Over the past two years, she has reenergized a politically disengaged population after more than a decade of economic and social collapse. Machado has been in hiding in Venezuela since 2024, when electoral authorities allied with President Nicolas Maduro declared Maduro's reelection in a vote widely seen as rigged. The government never posted official election results, but results collected by the opposition, verified by an independent election monitor, found the Machado-backed candidate had won in a landslide. Married to a constitutional lawyer and mother of three, Machado impressed both experts and ordinary citizens with her work ethic and ability to connect with voters. Her message was simple: Maduro leads a "mafia" that has looted the country and represses its people. Venezuelans are fed up, and the fight for democracy will continue until the government changes. The Maduro government has called Machado a fascist and terrorist, accusing her of fomenting a right-wing conspiracy to overthrow his rule. The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored Machado "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy," noting she had done so "in the face of ever-expanding authoritarianism." In mid-2023, Machado organized a primary election without official support, breathing life back into the opposition in a country where protests had been crushed and dissidents jailed. According to Caracas-based rights group Foro Penal, Venezuela currently holds 841 political prisoners. She is the latest in a line of opposition leaders who have failed to unseat Maduro, who has ruled for 12 years. The United Nations has documented his government's use of torture and imprisonment against opponents, and the International Criminal Court has launched an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity. Venezuela's communication ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. MACHADO HAS UNCOMPROMISING STANCE The eldest daughter of a prominent steelmaking family, Machado was described as stubborn by her mother. She campaigned across Venezuela, cooking corn pancakes at roadside stands and traveling by boat through rivers and jungles. Educated at a Catholic girls' school in Caracas and a boarding school in Massachusetts, Machado studied engineering and finance before joining her family's business. In 2002, she founded Sumate, a voter rights group that became a key opposition force against Hugo Chavez, Maduro's predecessor and founder of Venezuela's socialist governing movement. Fluent in English and known for her strong voice, her fierce personality led to confrontations in the National Assembly, where she served starting in 2010. In 2012, she famously told Chavez, "Expropriating is stealing." Her uncompromising stance has drawn criticism, even from fellow opposition members. More recently, her vocal support for military strikes by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on boats allegedly transporting narcotics has caused friction within some parts of the opposition. Machado has forged a close alliance with Trump and personally thanked him in her Nobel acceptance statement. Trump has called her a "freedom fighter." Last year, then-Senator Marco Rubio — now Secretary of State and a longtime ally of the Venezuelan opposition — signed a letter nominating her for the Nobel Peace Prize. MASSIVE SUPPORT PERSUADED HER TO CAMPAIGN Before organizing the 2023 primary, Machado had long abstained from participating in Venezuela's elections due to distrust in the electoral authorities. She reversed course when massive public support propelled her into the campaign. Machado's speeches—often delivered from trucks or car rooftops to bypass government obstruction—championed economic and democratic freedom and the reunification of families separated by migration. The Maduro government frequently attacks Machado, accusing her of sabotage and involvement in power blackouts. Maduro's opponents blame the blackouts on deteriorating infrastructure and mismanagement. In early 2024, Venezuela's highest court barred Machado from running for president, citing alleged financial irregularities from her time as a legislator. She then backed Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a little-known diplomat and academic, who ran and was widely considered the winner after vote tallies showed he had received nearly 70% of the vote. The Carter Center confirmed the opposition's count. But backed by the military, Maduro declared himself the victor, ignoring international pressure to concede. Protests and a subsequent crackdown led to two dozen deaths and thousands of arrests, according to rights groups. Gonzalez fled to Spain in September 2024, saying he feared imprisonment or torture. Nearly all of Machado's senior advisers have been detained or forced into exile. From hiding, Machado continues to lead a largely exiled opposition movement. (Reporting by Sarah Kinosian in Mexico City and Reuters; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

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