The announcement came three days after María Corina Machado, an opposition leader, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Norwegian officials see cyber espionage as the most likely cause of unusual betting surge on this year’s Nobel Peace Prize recipient ahead of the announcement.

The far-right leader of Venezuela's opposition party said that the current president is illegitimate and called for his removal.

Norway's foreign ministry confirmed that Caracas had closed its embassy in Oslo without providing a reason. The Nobel Committee in Oslo awarded her the prize on Friday in recognition of what it called "her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela",