New Delhi, Oct 10 – In a move that has shaken the political scene, Venezuela’s long‑time opposition leader María Corina Machado has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The 112th laureate, and the 19th woman ever to receive the honour, is the first South‑American woman and the second Venezuelan to win the prestigious award.
Machado, 58, has spent more than two decades fighting for democratic rights in a country that has been ruled by powerful leaders Hugo Chávez and his successor Nicolás Maduro. She stayed in Caracas while many of her colleagues fled, and even went into hiding after a violent attack late last year. This year she survived a 15‑year political ban that barred her from the 2024 presidential race, when the Supreme Court upheld the ruling.
Her schooling began in industrial engineering and finance, but Machado entered public life in 1992 by founding a charity for orphaned street children. She moved into politics in 2001, helped launch the volunteer group “Sumate” that monitors elections, and quickly became a thorn in the side of the Chávez administration. Her opposition intensified after Chávez’s 2002 coup attempt and again in 2004 during a recall referendum, leading to charges of treason that were later dropped.
In 2010, she ran for the National Assembly as a Justice First candidate and won with the most votes nationwide. Machado famously questioned Chávez on his 2012 State of the Nation speech, calling the nationalization of key industries “stealing” when the government didn’t pay. After Chávez’s death in 2013, she joined the 2014 anti‑Maduro protests and hosted a weekly TV show to discuss politics.
Despite threats and a severe crackdown, Machado remained in Venezuela and continued to speak against Maduro’s rule, even through the tumultuous 2019 elections and the standoff with opposition leader Juan Guaidó. She stayed in the country while many opponents went into exile. Her resilience earned her the Nobel Peace Prize, a tribute to her persistent push for democracy and human rights.
For more details, contact Vikas Datta at vikas.d@ians.in.
Source: ianslive
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