Machado’s Mother Prays Daughter Will Collect Nobel in Oslo — Caracas Says She’s A “Fugitive”

Oslo — Corina Parisca de Machado, the 84-year-old mother of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, arrived in Oslo on Monday and said she is praying her daughter — who has been living in hiding — will be able to travel to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in person this week.

"Every day I pray the rosary, I ask God the Father, the Virgin, both together, that we may have Maria Corina tomorrow," she told AFP after arriving at the airport ahead of Wednesday's ceremony. "And if we don't have her tomorrow, it is because that is God's will," she added, noting she has not seen her daughter in a year.

Machado, 58, was named a Nobel laureate on October 10 for her efforts to challenge what the Nobel committee described as the iron-fisted rule of President Nicolas Maduro, who has led Venezuela since 2013. Machado has accused Maduro of stealing the July 2024 presidential election — an allegation shared by much of the international community — and was barred from standing in that vote.

Having gone into hiding in August 2024, Machado is nonetheless expected to receive the prize in person on Wednesday, Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Nobel Institute, told AFP.

"By being outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal investigations, she is considered a fugitive," Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, told AFP. He said Machado faces allegations including "acts of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, terrorism."

Machado's mother described her astonishment and joy when she learned of the award. "I would never have imagined it. I had heard and read that she had been nominated," she recalled. She also described how a daughter woke her at 7:00 a.m. to share the news — "the only time I've ever been woken up at 7:00 am without getting mad," she said with a laugh.

Several Latin American leaders are expected to attend Wednesday's ceremony at Oslo City Hall, including Argentina's president Javier Milei, a political ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Machado is scheduled to hold a press conference at the Nobel Institute on Tuesday at 1:00 pm (1200 GMT), organizers say.

Heavy security has been visible in parts of Oslo ahead of the ceremony, though officials have not confirmed whether Machado herself has already arrived in Norway. The situation remains sensitive as family hopes and international diplomacy converge around the high-profile award.