STORY: Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado appeared late on Thursday (December 11) on the balcony of Oslo's Grand Hotel, singing her country's national anthem and greeting cheering supporters after secretly fleeing Venezuela.

Crowds gathered outside the hotel chanted "brave, brave" and "freedom, freedom" in Spanish as Machado, hand on her chest, joined them in singing "Gloria al Bravo Pueblo" before telling them she would come down to meet them.

Machado, who had been barred from travel by Venezuelan authorities and spent more than a year in hiding before escaping by boat and plane to Norway, climbed over a fence to hug supporters waiting behind barriers outside the hotel.

Machado left Venezuela by boat on Tuesday and traveled to the Caribbean island of Curacao, from where she departed on a private plane for Norway, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The source, who had been briefed by Machado’s camp, said her escape from the Venezuelan coast was handled by her security staff. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Machado's travel to Curacao, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

In 2024, Machado was barred from running in the presidential election, despite having won the opposition's primary by a landslide. She went into hiding in August 2024 after authorities expanded arrests of opposition figures following the disputed vote.

The electoral authority and top court declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner, but international observers and the opposition say its candidate handily won and the opposition has published ballot box-level tallies as evidence of its victory.

Machado's appearance capped her dramatic journey to reach Oslo a day after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: NOBEL LAUREATE MARIA CORINA MACHADO APPEARS ON BALCONY OF OSLO'S GRAND HOTEL AFTER FLEEING VENEZUELA / VARIOUS OF MACHADO IN STREET GREETING SUPPORTERS / MACHADO JUMPING FENCE / SOUNDBITES FROM MACHADO SUPPORTERS

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: OSLO, NORWAY (DECEMBER 11, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER AND NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE MARIA CORINA MACHADO APPEARING ON BALCONY OF OSLO'S GRAND HOTEL AFTER FLEEING VENEZUELA, PEOPLE CAN BE HEARD CHANTING (Spanish) “brave, brave”

2. MACHADO, WITH HAND ON HER CHEST, SINGING THE VENEZUELAN NATIONAL ANTHEM "GLORIA AL BRAVO PUEBLO"

3. MACHADO SUPPORTERS SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM ON STREET

4. MACHADO ON BALCONY, SINGING

5. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS SINGING ANTHEM

6. MACHADO GREETING SUPPORTERS FROM BALCONY

7. SUPPORTERS ON STREET CHANTING (Spanish) “freedom, freedom”

8. MACHADO ON BALCONY SAYING (Spanish) “I’m coming down” AND PEOPLE HEARD CHEERING

9. SUPPORTERS WITH MOBILE PHONES WAITING FOR MACHADO

10. MACHADO COMING OUT OF GRAND HOTEL AND WALKING TOWARDS SUPPORTERS STANDING BEHIND FENCE

11. MACHADO JUMPING FENCE AND HUGGING SUPPORTERS

12. SUPPORTERS STANDING WITH MOBILE PHONES

13. MACHADO JUMPING FENCE BACK TOWARDS HOTEL AREA

14. MACHADO WALKING ALONG FENCE WAVING AT SUPPORTERS

15. MACHADO STANDING ON FENCE AND WAVING AT SUPPORTERS / SUPPORTER JUMPING ANOTHER FENCE AND HUGGING MACHADO

16. VARIOUS OF MACHADO GREETING SUPPORTERS WAITING FOR HER OUTSIDE GRAND HOTEL

17. (SOUNDBITE)(Spanish) VENEZUELAN LIVING IN SWEDEN WHO TRAVELED TO SEE MACHADO, PAOLA SILVA, SAYING:

“It is very important for me to see Maria Corina Machado. She is a person who has been in captivity, has been in captivity for several years, and she is a very determined fighter. For us, she is the icon of freedom at this moment. She is extremely important for all of us because we have pinned our hopes on her.”

18. MACHADO HOLDING SUPPORTERS’ HANDS OVER FENCE

19. (SOUNDBITE)(Spanish) MEXICAN-GERMAN WHO CAME TO SEE MACHADO, DIANA LUNA, SAYING:

“After all these months in which she has been in hiding and her life has been in danger, I think seeing her together with the entire Venezuelan diaspora is a pleasure and a reassurance that she is safe, and it is also a way for the Venezuelan cause to stay alive and a way to put more pressure on the regime so that there can be a transition in Venezuela.”

20. MACHADO GREETING SUPPORTERS

21. MACHADO WALKING BACK TO HOTEL, DAUGHTER ANA CORINA SOSA MACHADO PUTTING SOMETHING AROUND HER NECK

22. MACHADO WALKING TOWARDS MOTHER CORINA PARISCA DE MACHADO WHO IS SITTING ON WHEELCHAIR, AND KISSING HER HEAD

23. MACHADO WALKING BACK INTO HOTEL

24. SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE HOTEL, FERRIS WHEEL SEEN IN BACKGROUND