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Trump must be livid this morning. He really wanted that prize. 😸

“The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado for her work "promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela" and her push to move the country from dictatorship to democracy.

Jorgen Watne Frydens, the Nobel Committee chair, spoke broadly about the advance of authoritarian regimes in the world and retreat of democracy in the announcement…

…"Machado is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize first and foremost for her efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela," the committee said. "But democracy is also in retreat internationally. Democracy -- understood as the right to freely express one's opinion, to cast one's vote and to be represented in elective government -- is the foundation of peace both within countries and between countries."…

"Democracy is a precondition for lasting peace," the committee said. "However, we live in a world where democracy is in retreat, where more and more authoritarian regimes are challenging norms and resorting to violence. The Venezuelan regime's rigid hold on power and its repression of the population are not unique in the world. We see the same trends globally: rule of law abused by those in control, free media silenced, critics imprisoned, and societies pushed towards authoritarian rule and militarisation. In 2024, more elections were held than ever before, but fewer and fewer are free and fair."…