Oslo, Oct 10: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation, winning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness”.
The former opposition presidential candidate is a “key, unifying figure” in the once deeply divided opposition to President Nicolas Maduro’s government, said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee.
Machado said the Venezuelan people deserved it. “I am just part of a huge movement… I’m humbled, I’m grateful and I’m honoured not only by this recognition, but I’m honoured to be part of what’s going on in Venezuela today,” she added. (AP)
