By Hadiza Abdulkadir
Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has said she would consider giving her Nobel Peace Prize to former U.S. President Donald Trump, drawing swift clarification from the Nobel Institute that such a move would not be possible.
Machado made the remark during a public discussion about international support for Venezuela’s democratic struggle, suggesting Trump’s foreign policy pressure on Caracas deserved recognition. Her comments sparked widespread reaction on social media and prompted questions about whether a Nobel Prize can be transferred.
In response, the Nobel Institute said the rules governing the Nobel Peace Prize are clear and final: once awarded, the prize cannot be given, reassigned, or donated to another individual. “The decision is final,” the institute said, underscoring that the prize is granted solely to the named laureate, to her in this case.
Machado, a former National Assembly member, was barred by authorities aligned with Nicolas Maduro from running in Venezuela’s 2024 general election.
She backed a stand‑in candidate widely considered to have won the vote, although Maduro claimed victory. Ballot audits by independent observers revealed irregularities in the official results.