The organization that oversees the Nobel Peace Prize has poured cold water on Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado’s recent comments that the prize would be awarded to President Donald Trump.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute said in a brief statement on Friday that the Nobel Peace Prize, once announced, cannot be withdrawn, transferred or shared with others.
“The decision is final and valid forever,” it said.
Machado’s statement came after she said she hoped to share or award the award to Trump, who oversaw the successful U.S. operation to capture the authoritarian Venezuelan president. Nicolás Maduro. He faces drug trafficking charges in New York.
“I would certainly like to be able to tell him personally that we believe – the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize for the Venezuelan people – certainly want to give it to him and share it with him,” Machado told reporters. fox news anchor Sean Hannity Monday. “What he’s done is historic. It’s a huge step toward a democratic transition.”
Shortly after the award was presented, Machado dedicated the award to Trump and the Venezuelan people be announced. Trump has coveted and publicly campaigned for the Nobel Prize since returning to office.
when it comes to Governing Venezuela However, following Maduro’s arrest, Trump has so far supported another person: acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who served as vice president under Maduro.
He called Machado a “very good woman” but said she currently does not have the support to govern in Venezuela. He told Hannity on Thursday that Machado planned to visit next week and called the potential peace prize a “huge honor.”
A representative for Machado did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.