Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado will not attend ceremony, Nobel Institute says

María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, will not attend the ceremony in Oslo on Wednesday, the director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute said, adding that he did not know where she was.

Machado was set to receive the award in the Norwegian capital at 1 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET) in a ceremony attended by Norwegian royalty as well as Latin American leaders including Argentine President Javier Milei and Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa.

“She is unfortunately not in Norway and will not stand on stage at Oslo City Hall at 1 p.m. when the ceremony starts,” Kristian Berg Harpviken, the director of the institute and the permanent secretary of the award body, told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, according to Reuters.

Asked where she was, Harpviken said: “I don’t know.”

Machado, 58, is barred from leaving Venezuela and has spent more than a year in hiding since President Nicolás Maduro declared victory in an election last year that was widely criticized as rigged. She had been the opposition’s original candidate against Maduro, but the government prevented her from running.

A news conference where Machado was supposed to appear was canceled on Tuesday after a delay of several hours. The institute did not say whether the news conference, which laureates traditionally hold the day before the formal award ceremony, would be rescheduled.

“Machado has herself stated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway will be,” it said Tuesday.

Harpviken said the ceremony would still go ahead and that Machado’s daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, would accept the award in her place.

The Nobel Institute did not immediately reply to an emailed request for additional comment.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.