<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The People's Party Parliamentary Group has called on the government to express "its satisfaction" with the awarding of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado, "a symbol of the defense of freedom, human rights, and democracy in Venezuela," and denounced the executive branch's "shameful silence" on this matter, which "has a face and a name: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero."</strong></h4> In a non-legislative motion presented on October 17 for debate in the Congressional plenary session, the People's Party recalls that, on October 10, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado, "a key figure in Venezuelan democratic leadership," which "recognizes not only an exceptional woman, but also a legitimate, courageous, and cohesive leader, who has embodied the hope of the Venezuelan people in the face of a criminal dictatorship established by Hugo Chávez and perpetuated by Nicolás Maduro for more than a quarter of a century in Venezuela." According to the PP, "the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize is the international community's recognition of a woman who has not given up." Despite this, according to the People's Party (PP) Group, "in the face of this moral clarity and this recognition through the Nobel Peace Prize, the Spanish government has opted for the most shameful silence." “Not a single congratulation, not a single statement, not a single word. Not from the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, nor from his Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares,” it adds. “While the world recognizes the courage of a woman who embodies the fight for freedom, the Government remains silent in the face of her persecution, hiding behind ambiguity and renouncing the defense of democratic values,” the PP denounces. “This complicit silence has a face and a name: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The former President of the Government has acted for years as a defender of the Maduro regime. He has denied the existence of crimes against humanity and has whitewashed the Venezuelan dictatorship with his presence and his words,” it continues. In the opinion of the party led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, “from Spain, there is no room for silence or equidistance,” because “supporting María Corina Machado means supporting democratic legality over arbitrariness, the rule of law over repression, and the voice of a people over the noise of propaganda.” “Ultimately, it is about defending the values that underpin our Constitution, our membership in the European Union, and our status as a full democracy. Spain cannot remain on the sidelines. This House must speak loudly and clearly, with María Corina Machado, with Venezuelan democracy, and with those who, despite fear, continue to choose freedom,” warns the People's Party. Therefore, the Non-Law Proposal urges the Government to “express its satisfaction with the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado, a symbol of the defense of freedom, human rights, and democracy in Venezuela.” It also urges "to express firm and unambiguous support for the Venezuelan democratic forces grouped in the Unitary Platform, and in particular for its leader, María Corina Machado," to "reiterate the firm and unequivocal condemnation of the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro, responsible for systematic human rights violations, political repression and the impoverishment of the Venezuelan people" and to "demand immediate compliance with the mandate of the Congress, approved on September 11, 2024, to recognize Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate president of Venezuela."
