Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights” and her “struggle for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday.
Before the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, there had been speculation that US President Donald Trump might be among the contenders for this year’s award.
Machado, a key figure in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement, has long been seen as a symbol of civilian courage and resilience in Latin America. For years, she has stood up to the rule of President Nicolás Maduro, despite facing arrests, threats, and political persecution. Refusing to go into exile, she continues to live in Venezuela, advocating for peaceful resistance and fair elections.
The Nobel Committee praised her as a “unifying force” who brought together a divided opposition. It highlighted her leadership during Venezuela’s disputed 2024 election, when she was banned from running for office. Instead, she threw her support behind opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, helping organise citizen-led monitoring of polling stations and efforts to document electoral fraud despite government repression.
“Maria Corina Machado has shown that the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace,” the committee said. “She embodies the hope of a different future, one where citizens’ rights are protected and their voices are heard.”
Who is Maria Corina Machado?
Machado is the National Coordinator of Vente Venezuela, a liberal political party she co-founded in 2013, and previously served as a member of the National Assembly from 2010 to 2015. She also co-founded Súmate, a civil society group that promotes free elections, and SoyVenezuela, a coalition pushing for democratic transition.
Expelled from parliament in 2014 after denouncing human rights abuses, Machado has faced charges of treason and conspiracy, as well as travel bans.
Internationally recognised, she has received awards including the Charles T Manatt Prize and the Liberal International Freedom Prize. An industrial engineer by training, Machado also advocates free-market reforms to rebuild Venezuela’s economy.
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
