The general secretary of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, stated this Monday that the Nobel Peace Prize is an 'auction' that is awarded 'to the highest bidder,' with two days to go before the ceremony in which this recognition will be presented in Oslo to the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado. 'Regarding Oslo, I don't know. We know nothing about that, we don't participate in that auction,' said the also Minister of Interior during the PSUV's weekly press conference, broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV). 'Check who the Nobel Peace Prize winners have been and you will get the answer. There is not much to look for,' he added. He assured that chavism already 'has the best prize,' which he said is 'the people' and 'the tranquility' in which they live, while he stressed that there are 'very angry people' because they did not receive the Nobel Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to Machado on December 10. Asked about the Nobel ceremony, scheduled for December 10, Cabello stated that in Venezuela there will be 'a great march of the peasants' to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Inés, which occurred in 1859 during the Venezuelan Federal War. 'On that day, December 10, we will be marching,' he emphasized. Despite being in hiding, Machado is expected to attend the award ceremony in Oslo, a presence confirmed over the weekend by the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which did not provide further details on her possible departure from Venezuela for security reasons. Cabello also rejected Panama's intention to mediate in the tensions between the South American country and the United States on Monday, stating that in the Central American nation they only obey the instructions of the Donald Trump administration. 'In Panama there is no government (...). They do what the United States says there,' said the also Minister of Interior and Justice during the PSUV's weekly press conference, broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV). Cabello questioned on what issue Panama is going to mediate in Venezuela and said that the country led by José Raúl Mulino, an ally of the Venezuelan opposition, must advocate for its citizens. On Sunday, Panama's Vice Chancellor, Carlos Hoyos, said in an interview with EFE that the Central American country is positioning itself as a mediator between the United States and Venezuela at a time of high tension between both countries and a possible action by Washington against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, for which it could, he said, 'host certain individuals from the Venezuelan regime.' 'Panama has always been a paragon of a mediating country, and even President Mulino has said that if to resolve the situation in Venezuela he has to host certain individuals from the Venezuelan regime, we would be willing to do so temporarily,' he said on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, which concluded on Sunday in Qatar.
