Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. AFP/Yonhap News

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado (58), this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is unlikely to attend the award ceremony, foreign media including AP reported.

The Norwegian Nobel Institute, which organizes the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, announced on December 10 (local time) that Machado would not attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony held at Oslo City Hall at 1 p.m. that day.

Olav Njølstad, the Executive Director of the Institute, told the public broadcaster NRK that Machado was not in Oslo on the day of the ceremony and that her daughter would receive the award on her behalf.

Njølstad added that he "simply" did not know where Machado was currently, stating, "Her daughter will read a speech written by Machado herself after the award."

AFP reported that Machado's family, including her mother and three daughters, had already arrived in Oslo.

Machado's inability to attend the ceremony was somewhat anticipated by the cancellation of the Nobel laureates' press conference, which was scheduled for the previous day. The Nobel Peace Prize laureates' press conference is traditionally held the day before the award ceremony, coinciding with December 10, the anniversary of the Nobel Prize's founder, Alfred Nobel.

The Institute stated in a statement the previous day, "Machado had mentioned in interviews with the media how challenging her journey to Oslo would be," and "At this point, we cannot provide any further information on when and how she will arrive for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

Machado has been in hiding in an undisclosed location in Venezuela since last August, opposing the iron-fisted rule of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Her last public appearance was at an anti-government protest on January 9 of this year.

For this reason, whether she would directly attend the Oslo ceremony, risking arrest, was one of the biggest points of interest surrounding this year's Nobel Prize.

Venezuelan authorities had warned that Machado was facing multiple criminal charges, including conspiracy and terrorism, and that she would be considered an escapee if she left the country. The Maduro regime had issued a travel ban on Machado in 2014.

In October, the Norwegian Nobel Committee selected Machado as this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, stating that she had "tirelessly worked to promote the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and fought for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."