MIAMI — South Florida’s academic and political leaders on Monday celebrated Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize, calling it a triumph not only for Venezuela but for pro-democracy movements across Latin America.

At an event held at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora in Miami, representatives from several universities and civic institutions praised Machado’s courage, nonviolent leadership and steadfast commitment to restoring democracy in her homeland.

The Nobel Committee announced Friday that it had awarded the prize to Machado for her “tireless work promoting the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

Machado’s nomination was spearheaded by Miami Dade College and endorsed by Florida International University, St. Thomas University and Barry University. The campaign also drew support from Marco Rubio, at the time a U.S. senator and now secretary of state Marco Rubio, as well as Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and Miami-area Reps Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and María Elvira Salazar, who submitted a letter backing her candidacy.

Marcell Felipe, a member of Miami Dade College’s board of trustees and one of the key figures behind the nomination, recalled early conversations with Machado about how to reclaim Venezuela’s democracy through peaceful means.

“We had these video conferences with Maria Corina,” Felipe said. “You know, we’re all fighting essentially for the same cause. It might be Venezuelan or Cuban, but ultimately we’re human beings fighting for the chance to be treated with dignity and with respect.”

Felipe said Machado’s insistence on peaceful resistance, even amid brutal repression, distinguished her from other political figures.

“She never wanted a violent confrontation between her countrymen,” he said. “She wanted this to be an act of love, an act of courage, and to win the people.”

He described Machado as a leader driven by “the transformative ability for that nation,” and said the Nobel Committee’s recognition reflected “a simple hope for all humanity.”

“Most people get to power on their knees,” Felipe added. “But only those who get to power with their full dignity intact have the real ability to wield it. And I think … Maria Corina Machado is going to wield that power very effectively. Not for the sake of power, but for the sake of what they do with that power.”

Felipe noted that many who championed Machado’s candidacy for the Peace Prize were Miami-based exiles who saw in her “a leader for our entire continent and … a role model that we want to follow.”

Machado’s message from hiding

Machado, who remains in hiding inside Venezuela, sent a voice message to express her gratitude to the South Florida community. She said the Nobel award recognized not her personally, but the collective struggle of Venezuelans and their allies abroad.

“I want to send you all my strength and gratitude,” she said. “Because without you, it would not have been possible for this enormous recognition of the Venezuelan people to become a reality.”

She thanked the universities, think tanks and Florida leaders who have supported her movement and linked Venezuela’s liberation to the broader democratic fight across Latin America.

“I especially want to send my gratitude and encouragement to the people of Cuba and the people of Nicaragua. Ours is the same struggle, and it has our commitment and our promise,” she said. “By liberating Venezuela, we will also liberate its people. We will achieve the reunion of our families.”

Her message ended with a note of faith and perseverance: “We walk hand in hand with God.”

A message for Maduro’s regime

Congressman Gimenez, one of the lawmakers who added their names to the nomination for Machado for the Nobel Prize, said the award underscored her lifelong defense of peace and democracy.

“It certainly is my pleasure to be here representing a number of my colleagues … that signed on to the letter nominating Maria Corina for the Nobel Peace Prize,” he said. “Because she does exemplify what this prize is all about. It’s about peace, but it’s also about freedom. It’s about democracy. And that’s what Maria Corina is fighting for every single day.”

Speaking at the Cuban Diaspora Museum, Gimenez said the Cuban and Venezuelan communities were “kindred spirits … united in our fight for freedom and democracy in this hemisphere.” He praised Machado’s resilience despite being pursued by Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s security forces.

“She’s in hiding. So think about the courage that she has. They’re hunting her down and have been hunting her down for well over a year,” Gimenez said. “Maybe not so much now … because she is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. And so that’s going to put a little bit of, wait a minute, don’t mess with that lady.”

Gimenez called the award “a very powerful message sent by the international community to Nicolás Maduro and that regime,” stressing that Washington considers Venezuela’s government illegitimate.

“We should not tolerate dictators and these oppressive regimes to exist in our hemisphere,” he said. “We have a three-headed monster called Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba. They’re all tied at the hip. And they’re spreading this failed experiment called communism around our hemisphere.”

The congressman described Maduro as “an illegitimate narco-trafficker terrorist running Venezuela,” and said the U.S. should back Venezuelans “with everything we got to make sure that the people of Venezuela get exactly what they deserve — freedom, democracy, and a return to a normal way of life.”

He added that Machado’s Nobel campaign “started right here” in South Florida, with the support of its universities and the exile community.

“By the way, I’m not sure that if you’d go anywhere else in the United States, you’d get all the four major educational institutions to sign that letter,” Gimenez said. “And that’s something that we said … teach them the value of freedom, teach them the value of democracy, and teach them what it is and how privileged we are to live in what I consider to be the greatest nation in the world.”

Maduro’s reaction

One person not celebrating is Maduro, who on Sunday lashed out at the opposition leader.

“Ninety percent of the entire population repudiates the demonic witch,” Maduro said.

“Ninety percent of our people repudiate any threat of invasion or war against Venezuela. All the polls say it: 80%–85% of our people are willing to fight for their homeland, for their land Venezuela,” he added, referring to the heightened U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, which has fueled fears inside the country of a possible military confrontation.

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