"I dedicate this award to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his steadfast support of our cause," Machado said on the "X" platform.

"We are on the verge of victory, and today more than ever, we rely on President Trump, the people of the United States, the people of Latin America, and the democratic countries of the world as our main allies in achieving freedom and democracy," the opposition leader emphasized.

Machado has been hiding from authorities in Venezuela for a year since the elections, which opponents of the government claim were stolen by authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.

Before the Venezuelan parliamentary elections in 2024, Machado was an opposition presidential candidate, but the regime blocked her candidacy.

Then she supported the little-known former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, who became the opposition candidate.

Most of the international community considers Gonzalez the rightful winner.

Machado has supported Trump's military pressure campaign against Maduro, including the large deployment of US naval forces near Venezuela, as"necessary steps" towards a democratic transition in Venezuela.