Nobel Peace Prize winner named - as White House criticises decision after Trump fails to get award

Venezuelan opposition leader and pro-democracy campaigner Maria Corina Machado has won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The committee praised her for her "tireless work promoting democratic rights... and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy".

It said she had resisted death threats and been forced into hiding in her fight against President Nicolas Maduro - widely considered a dictator. "When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist," Nobel added.

The committee said Ms Machado had stayed in Venezuela despite personal risk, calling it a "choice that has inspired millions of people". "Democracy depends on people who refuse to stay silent, who dare to step forward despite grave risk," it said.

Read more: Who is Maria Corina Machado? There was speculation Donald Trump had an outside chance despite nominations closing less then two weeks after he started his second term. The president claims he has stopped seven wars since then - an assertion widely disputed - and last month said "everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also put the president's name forward for the award in July. The White House criticised the Nobel committee's decision on Friday.

"President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will," spokesman Steven Cheung said in a post on X.

"The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace." Nina Graeger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, told Sky News if Mr Trump's Gaza peace deal leads to "a lasting and sustainable peace... the committee would almost certainly have to take that into serious consideration in next year's deliberations".

'Extraordinary example of courage' Ms Machado, 58, was lauded by the Nobel committee as "one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times". Writing on X after her win was announced, she said: "This immense recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is an impetus to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom.

"We are on the threshold of victory and today more than ever we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our main allies to achieve Freedom and democracy. Venezuela will be free!" Her candidacy for last year's election was blocked by the Maduro regime but she backed Edmundo Gonzalez, the leader of another party.

Opposition groups organised hundreds of thousands of volunteers to observe voting, despite risks to their safety, and ensured tallies were recorded "before the regime could destroy ballots and lie about the outcome.