CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — María Corina Machado has long been the face of resistance to Venezuela’s 26-year ruling party. Now, she may become a symbol of peace, too.

Machado, the Venezuelan opposition powerhouse who prompted millions of Venezuelans to reject President Nicolas Maduro in last year’s election, on Friday was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work “to achieve a just and peaceful transition” of power in the South American country.

The award also recognized the seasoned politician for being a “unifying figure” in the fractured opposition.

The award, however, is being granted at a time when opposition supporters are questioning her leadership, including her embrace of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Venezuela policy, which has seen Venezuelan migrants sent to an infamous prison in Central America and deadly U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean.

Sandra Martinez, 32, called Machado a “great woman” as she waited at a bus stop in Caracas, but said she’s not sure if the prize will have any effect on her country. “I don’t know what can be done with that to improve the situation, but she deserves it,” Martinez said.

Machado, an industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate, began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the non-governmental organization she co-founded, Sumate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chavez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Sumate executives were charged with conspiracy.

She drew the anger of Chavez and his allies the following year for her Oval Office meeting with then-U.S. President George W. Bush. Chavez considered Bush an adversary.

Her full transformation into a politician would come in 2010, when she was elected to a seat in the National Assembly, receiving more votes than any aspiring lawmaker ever. It was from this position that she boldly interrupted Chavez as he addressed the legislature and called his expropriation of businesses theft.

“An eagle does not hunt a fly,” he responded. The exchange is seared in voters’ memories.

Machado, 58, sought Venezuela’s presidency for the first time in 2012, but she finished third in the primary race.