Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in promoting democracy and fighting dictatorship in her country. The former opposition presidential candidate was lauded for being a "key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided - an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government," said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
As the leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela, Machado, often called Venezuela's iron lady, is seen as an example of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.
She has emerged as a key figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided - an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government.
Venezuela has evolved from a relatively democratic and prosperous country to a brutal, authoritarian state that is now suffering a humanitarian and economic crisis. Most Venezuelans live in deep poverty, even as the few at the top enrich themselves. The violent machinery of the state is directed against the country's own citizens. Nearly 8 million people have left the country. The opposition has been systematically suppressed by means of election rigging, legal prosecution and imprisonment.
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