Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado will not attend the award ceremony in Oslo. Despite significant anticipation and heightened security in the Norwegian capital, Machado will remain absent. The Nobel Institute director, Kristian Berg Harpviken, confirmed this news on Tuesday, December 9. He stated that Machado is not currently in Oslo.
Machado’s daughter will accept the prestigious award on her behalf. This arrangement follows the sudden cancellation of a press conference Machado was scheduled to hold on Tuesday. These developments deepen the ongoing mystery surrounding her movements and security status. The laureate has lived in hiding for several months and last made a public appearance eleven months ago.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will not receive the Nobel Peace Prize in person at the award ceremony in Oslo, the director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute said, with her current whereabouts unknown https://t.co/wxDsws61pV pic.twitter.com/kR34bAv6gO
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 10, 2025The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Machado the prize for her persistent struggle to achieve a democratic transition in Venezuela. However, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab previously declared that Machado would be considered a “fugitive from justice” if she left the country to attend. This statement cited existing criminal charges against the opposition leader.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina #Machado will not attend the #Nobel Peace Prize ceremony this Wednesday. Her whereabouts remain unknown after over a year in hiding.@Charlotte_JHS and @frodoF24 take a look at who Machado is, and why she was awarded the Peace Prize ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Vr0ssUxdHv
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) December 10, 2025The ceremony in Oslo will proceed as a high-profile diplomatic event. Several Latin American heads of state, including Argentina’s Javier Milei, are expected to attend in a show of solidarity. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government has dismissed the Nobel award. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello criticised it as an “auction.” He also announced that the government would hold its own rally on the same day as the Oslo ceremony. “We have the best of all prizes, which is the people,” Cabello stated.
Read: María Corina Machado Wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
This situation highlights the intense political tensions within Venezuela. It also underscores the complex challenges faced by dissidents operating under governmental pressure. The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, intended as a celebration, has instead become a focal point for geopolitical friction.
