247 - Journalist Florestan Fernandes Jr. stated this Saturday (11) that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) would be the true worthy winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, after the Norwegian committee announced the choice of Venezuelan María Corina Machado as this year's winner.

"If anyone deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, it's President Lula. He defeated the far-right, which attempted a coup in Brazil, at the ballot box and, at the helm of the nation, was a group closely linked to María Corina in Venezuela. It's a disgrace to award the Nobel Prize to a fascist," Florestan wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

If anyone deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, it's President Lula. He defeated the far-right, which attempted a coup in Brazil, at the polls and, as leader of the nation, was closely linked to Maria Corina in Venezuela. It's a disgrace to award the Nobel Prize to a fascist.

— Florestan Fernandes (@florestanjr) October 11, 2025

The journalist's message adds to a wave of criticism from different Latin American countries following the announcement of the award.

Latin American reaction

The election of María Corina Machado, leader of the Venezuelan opposition, caused strong diplomatic and political repercussions.

Former IMF Executive Director Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr. said the Nobel Prize “lost credibility” by awarding a “policy controlled by Washington” instead of recognizing efforts for peace amid the conflict in Gaza.

The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and the former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, also expressed their condemnation of the decision.

For Venezuelan educator Marisol Guedez, from the Observatory for Dignity at Work, Corina “showed no concern for peace,” and even “called for violent acts outside of democratic frameworks.”

Among leaders of the Brazilian government's base, the Venezuelan was compared to Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), who, like Corina, supported sanctions imposed on Venezuela by Donald Trump's government in 2017.

“The award prioritized politics, not peace”

Special advisor to the Presidency, Celso Amorim, stated that the Nobel Prize"prioritized politics over peace" by awarding the prize to the opposition member."I don't know the Nobel Prize criteria. Nor do I question María Corina's personal qualities. But it seems the committee opted for a political choice," Amorim told CNN Brasil.