Global Events Support Venezuelan Opposition Leader

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado demonstrated Saturday in several cities worldwide to commemorate her Nobel Peace Prize win ahead of the prestigious award ceremony next week. Dozens of people marched through Madrid, Utrecht, and other cities in support of Machado, whose organization wants to use the attention gained by the award to highlight Venezuela's democratic aspirations. The organization expected demonstrations in more than 80 cities around the world on Saturday, the AP reports.

The gatherings come at a critical point in the country's protracted crisis as the administration of President Trump builds up a massive military deployment in the Caribbean, threatening repeatedly to strike Venezuelan soil. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is among those who see the operation as an effort to end his hold on power, and the opposition has only added to this perception by reigniting its promise to soon govern the country. "We are living through times where our composure, our conviction, and our organization are being tested," Machado said in a video shared Tuesday on social media. "Times when our country needs even more dedication because now all these years of struggle, the dignity of the Venezuelan people, have been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize."

Machado won the award Oct. 10 for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation. Machado, 58, won the opposition's primary election and intended to run against Maduro in last year's presidential election, but the government barred her from running for office. Retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez took her place. The leadup to the July 28, 2024, election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations. It all increased after the National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary. Machado went into hiding and has not been seen in public since Jan. 9, when she was briefly detained after joining supporters in what ended up being an underwhelming protest in Caracas, Venezuela's capital. The following day, Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term.