The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Friday, recognizing her for her decades-long campaign to restore democratic governance in Venezuela and for her efforts to achieve a peaceful political transition in a country gripped by authoritarian rule and economic collapse.
Machado, described by the committee as “a brave and committed champion of peace”, has led Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement through years of repression, exile, and censorship. The committee said she “has kept the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness,” honoring her steadfast commitment to human rights, judicial independence, and electoral integrity despite significant personal risk.
As founder of Súmate, an organization devoted to fair elections, Machado helped mobilize citizens to monitor the 2024 presidential vote, which the opposition says it won despite the government’s refusal to recognize the results. The committee praised her choice of “ballots over bullets,” noting that her leadership unified Venezuela’s once-fractured opposition and inspired millions to engage in peaceful resistance.
The statement emphasized that Venezuela’s crisis is emblematic of a wider global retreat from democracy, as more governments turn to repression and violence to maintain control. The Nobel Committee underscored that democracy remains “a precondition for lasting peace” and praised Machado’s courage in remaining in Venezuela despite threats to her life.
Machado, who has been forced into hiding in recent months, was barred from running in the 2024 election but continued to rally opposition forces behind another candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. The opposition’s parallel vote count showed it had won “by a clear margin,” the committee said, though the Maduro government retained power.
In recognizing Machado, the Nobel Committee said she meets all three of Alfred Nobel’s original criteria for the Peace Prize: fostering fraternity among nations, reducing militarization, and advancing peace efforts. “She embodies the hope of a different future,” the committee said, “one where the fundamental rights of citizens are protected and their voices are heard.”
The announcement comes amid renewed attention to President Donald Trump’s claims that he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his own diplomatic efforts. Trump has repeatedly cited his administration’s role in facilitating normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab nations, as well as talks with North Korea, as evidence of his contributions to global peace.
