The daughter of the Venezuelan opposition party, Machado, receives the Nobel Peace Prize

The daughter of Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday on behalf of her mother, who was on her way to Oslo, where she was expected to arrive after the ceremony.

Machado said in an appeal to the head of the Nobel Committee published just before the ceremony that she was “deeply sad and deeply sorry” for not being able to arrive in time, but added that she was on her way to the Norwegian capital.

“Many people risked their lives so I could get to Oslo,” the opposition figure, who was living in hiding in Venezuela, continued.

Call on Maduro to step down
On Wednesday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee called on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down from power while awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, on whose behalf her daughter represented.

Addressing the Venezuelan president, who was re-elected last year in a vote whose results were rejected by the opposition, committee chairman Jürgen Watney Frednes said, “Mr. Maduro, accept the election results and step down.”

He added to warm applause, “Lay the foundation for a peaceful transition to democracy, as this is the will of the Venezuelan people. Maria Corina Machado and the Venezuelan opposition have lit a flame that cannot be extinguished by torture, lies, or fear.”