Nobel Organizers Unsure About When Peace Prize Winner Will Arrive for Ceremony

A scheduled media briefing by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is presently keeping a low profile, was called off on Tuesday. The award committee stated they are without any clear information regarding her current location.

Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader, has been in hiding since the country's disputed 2024 election. She and her supporters assert the vote was fraudulently taken.

She was granted the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to establish democracy to Venezuela and was expected to receive in person the award at a ceremony on Wednesday.

Despite frequently posting video updates on social media, typically against a plain white wall, her exact location remains unknown.

"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway is likely to be," the Nobel Institute said in a statement. "We therefore cannot at this point offer any additional information about the timing or manner in which she will arrive for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

The institute had previously stated she would be present at the ceremony in person. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had remarked that "everything suggests" the press conference would proceed despite a delay.

Official Position and Legal Threats

Venezuela's government have declared that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be considered a "person fleeing justice" by the authorities. Her relatives are reportedly in Oslo.

Last month, Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, informed a news agency that "Because she is outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal cases, she is regarded as a fugitive." He stated she is facing charges for "alleged conspiracy, promoting hatred, and terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Visibility

Machado had previously informed her followers that she planned to return to Venezuela after receiving the prize.

If she makes it to the ceremony, it would mark her first public appearance since January 2025. Her most recent public appearance was at a protest in Caracas on 9 January, opposing the swearing-in of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Election Backdrop

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition groups released vote counts indicating they had won, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. Several nations, including the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the duly elected president. Ms. Machado was banned from running in that election.