The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader, in recognition of her “tireless struggle for democratic rights and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Announcing the award in Oslo, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Nobel Committee, hailed Machado as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America.”
“She is receiving the prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” Frydnes said.
Machado, who went into hiding after a government crackdown on dissent last year, remains uncertain to attend the award ceremony in December.
The committee noted that Venezuela, once among Latin America’s most prosperous nations, has transformed into an “authoritarian state” facing deep humanitarian and economic crises. “Nearly eight million Venezuelans have fled the country, while the violent machinery of the state targets its own people,” Frydnes said.
Machado’s leadership has been pivotal in uniting Venezuela’s fragmented opposition. Her presidential candidacy for the 2024 elections was blocked by the Maduro regime, after which she endorsed another candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. Despite intimidation, arrests and torture threats, citizens mobilized nationwide to monitor polling stations, ensuring transparency against attempts to manipulate results.
“Their efforts were innovative, brave, peaceful and democratic,” Frydnes remarked, emphasizing that democracy remains a “precondition for lasting peace” at a time when “authoritarian regimes are rising globally.”
Machado, who was listed in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People this year, was described by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism.”
Despite death threats, Machado has chosen to remain in Venezuela. “She embodies the hope for a different future — one where citizens’ rights are protected and their voices are heard,” the Nobel Committee said.
The award, which includes a gold medal, a diploma, and $1.2 million, will be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize went to Japan’s Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots anti-nuclear movement formed by atomic bomb survivors.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, who had publicly expressed his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize, was ruled out this year due to the nomination process. Experts in Oslo said Trump’s “America First” policies run counter to the ideals of the award as envisioned in Alfred Nobel’s 1895 will.
