Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday, recognizing her as one of Latin America’s most courageous voices for democracy.
“As the leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela, María Corina Machado is one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times,” the committee said in its official statement.
Machado was honored “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.”
A fight for democracy amid repression
The award comes after years of escalating repression in Venezuela, where President Nicolás Maduro’s government has systematically targeted political opponents, activists, and journalists.
Machado, a longtime critic of Maduro’s regime, was disqualified from running in last year’s presidential election. Her replacement, Edmundo González, a political newcomer, went on to lead the opposition campaign. Despite widespread evidence of electoral fraud, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council — dominated by Maduro loyalists — declared the president the winner, sparking nationwide protests.
The government’s violent crackdown on demonstrators left more than 20 people dead and prompted a rupture in diplomatic relations between Venezuela and several countries, including Argentina.
In September 2024, the European Parliament voted in favor of a non-binding resolution recognizing González, not Maduro, as the legitimate winner of the election.
“Freedom versus oppression”
In an exclusive interview with Euronews at the time, Machado described the situation in Venezuela as one of “maximum persecution.”
“Practically all the leaders involved in organizing the elections are either in hiding, exiled abroad, or detained,” she said.
“This is not an issue of left versus right — it’s freedom versus oppression, corruption versus justice, and the brutal violation of human rights versus respect for them.”
Machado herself went into hiding in January 2025 and has not been seen publicly since. A Venezuelan court has also issued an arrest warrant for González, who later fled to Spain, where he was granted asylum.
A global message of endurance
The committee’s decision to honor Machado aligns with the Nobel tradition of celebrating those who defend peace, human rights, and democracy under extreme circumstances. Analysts noted that this year’s award underscores the importance of civil courage and institutional integrity in sustaining peace — especially in regions plagued by authoritarianism.
Rumors had circulated that former U.S. President Donald Trump might be a contender for the prize, fueled by recent developments surrounding his proposed Gaza ceasefire plan. However, experts pointed out that the committee typically prioritizes long-term contributions to peace and international fraternity over short-term political gestures.
Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize went to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots association of Japanese survivors of the atomic bombings, recognized for their decades-long campaign to maintain the global taboo against nuclear weapons.
The ceremony
The Nobel Peace Prize remains the only Nobel award presented in Norway, with the rest conferred in Sweden. The official award ceremony will take place on 10 December, marking the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death in 1896 — the Swedish inventor and industrialist whose fortune established the prizes.
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