Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado made it clear in recent hours that she does not consider the possibility of exile, even as she tries to reach Oslo to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize this Wednesday, according to her collaborators and closest relatives. The leader remains in hiding due to threats from the Nicolás Maduro regime, a situation that keeps her presence at the ceremony in suspense. The award ceremony, which could be symbolic due to uncertainty about her whereabouts, is scheduled for this Wednesday at Oslo City Hall, the traditional venue for the Nobel Peace Prize for four decades. The Latin American chain DNEWS reported that it will broadcast the gala starting at 8:00 AM (Argentina time) on DIRECTV, DGO, and YouTube, hosted by Venezuelan journalist Andi Chirinos with special coverage from Norway. In recent hours, the leader's mother, Corina Parisca de Machado (84), and her sister, Clara Machado Parisca, arrived in Oslo hoping to see her receive the diploma, medal, and monetary prize. And she emphasized that the leader will continue to fight for the restoration of democracy from her country. The organizers anticipated that Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero would perform 'Mi Querencia' by Simón Díaz, at the request of the awardee. From Caracas, her former campaign chief, Magalli Meda, reiterated that Machado does not intend to leave Venezuela: 'That does not exist. We have faith and hope,' her sister expressed on Tuesday. The spokesperson for the Nobel Institute, Erik Aasheim, stated that the institution remains hopeful for her presence, although he avoided giving details due to the lack of official confirmation from Machado's team. Her desire is to be here. It's like telling a mother she is going to stop loving her children. 'María Corina is doing the impossible to get here.' In a recent interview with journalist Pilar Rahola in DNEWS's 'Punto Rojo' cycle, Machado again warned that the Maduro regime 'is absolutely isolated' and that 'the only thing left for it is violence, because if there were no repression, they would not last even an instant.' Additionally, she stated that in Venezuela 'there is no conventional dictatorship, but a criminal state that has allowed the presence and operation of actors such as Russia, China, Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas,' to which she added 'drug cartels and Colombian guerrillas' that —she claimed— operate on Venezuelan territory with the aim of destabilizing the region. 'It is time to act against a criminal system,' insisted Machado, convinced that 'Maduro is going to leave power' and that the international community must respond to human rights violations and crimes against humanity that, she assures, are being committed in her country.
