The United Nations on Friday commended Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on winning this year's the Nobel Peace Prize.

Machado was awarded for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation, winning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”

The former opposition presidential candidate is a “key, unifying figure” in the once deeply divided opposition to President Nicolás Maduro’s government, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee.

“This is something that the Venezuelan people deserve,” Machado said in a call with the Norwegian Nobel Institute. “I am just part of a huge movement. ... I'm humbled, I'm grateful and I'm honored not only by this recognition, but I'm honored to be part of what's going on in Venezuela today.”

Maduro’s government has routinely targeted its real or perceived opponents.

Machado, who turned 58 this week, was set to run against Maduro in last year's presidential election, but the government disqualified her. Edmundo González, who had never run for office before, took her place.

The lead-up to the election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations.