The Norwegian Nobel Committee has announced that the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to María Corina Machado, recognizing her bravery, resilience, and tireless advocacy for democracy and human rights in Venezuela.
In an announcement on October 10, the Committee said the award honours a woman who “keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness,” acknowledging her leadership in promoting democratic rights and her struggle to achieve a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
As the leader of Venezuela’s democracy movement, Machado has become one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America, uniting a once deeply divided opposition around the shared call for free elections and representative government.
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 to Maria Corina Machado. She is receiving the Nobel Peace 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,” read the announcement.
Despite being a frontrunner for his role in brokering the Gaza Peace Deal U.S. President Donald Trump missed out on the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump was seen was a great contender in the race for the peace prize.
María Corina Machado Wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
Machado was honoured for her tireless efforts to promote democratic rights in Venezuela and her unwavering struggle for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
As the leader of Venezuela’s democracy movement, she has become one of the most outstanding symbols of civilian courage in Latin America.
The Committee described Machado as a unifying force in an opposition once deeply divided, praising her for rallying citizens around the shared cause of free elections and representative government.
“At a time when democracy is under threat, it is more important than ever to defend this common ground,” the Committee noted.
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Her Achievements
Over the years, Venezuela has plunged from a relatively democratic and prosperous state into an authoritarian regime marked by repression, poverty, and mass migration.
Nearly eight million Venezuelans have fled the country as political persecution, election rigging, and state-sponsored violence have intensified.
Machado, who co-founded Súmate, an organization devoted to promoting free and fair elections, has long championed the principle of “ballots over bullets.”
Despite harassment, arrests, and threats to her life, she has remained in Venezuela, continuing her call for justice and freedom.
Ahead of the 2024 elections, Machado was barred from contesting the presidency but backed opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, helping mobilize hundreds of thousands of volunteers as election observers.
Their peaceful and transparent efforts revealed a clear opposition victory, which the regime refused to acknowledge.
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Nobel Committee Praises Machado
The Nobel Committee said Machado’s steadfastness meets all three criteria set by Alfred Nobel — fostering fraternity between nations, promoting disarmament, and advancing peace.
It praised her for resisting militarization and uniting the Venezuelan opposition around democratic ideals.
“María Corina Machado has shown that the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace,” the Committee stated.
“She embodies the hope of a different future — one where the fundamental rights of citizens are protected and their voices are heard.”
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