The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights” and her “struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Committee announced in Oslo this morning. The decision immediately elevated the prominent, though politically besieged, figure to the world stage as a leading symbol of peaceful resistance against authoritarianism.
The Committee’s statement praised Machado as a “brave and committed champion of peace” and “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.” Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, highlighted her role as a “key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided,” finding common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government.
Machado, a 58-year-old former industrial engineer, was the widely favored opposition candidate ahead of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election but was barred from running by the ruling regime. She later rallied support behind a substitute candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, and led a massive citizen-led effort to document election results and expose what the opposition claimed was widespread fraud. The Nobel Committee noted that Venezuela has devolved from a relatively democratic state to “a brutal, authoritarian state” under President Nicolás Maduro, making Machado’s commitment to “ballots over bullets” all the more crucial.
Currently living in hiding in Venezuela amid serious threats to her life, Machado reacted to the news with visible shock during an emotional phone call with Kristian Berg Harpviken, the Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, a video of which was shared by the Nobel Committee on social media. “Oh my God, I have no words,” a stunned Machado can be heard saying, adding that the prize was a recognition of “a whole society” and that she was “just one person.” In a post on X, Machado dedicated the prize to “the suffering people of Venezuela” and stated that the award was “an impetus to conclude our task: to conquer freedom.”
The Nobel laureate also specifically thanked US President Donald Trump in her social media post, noting that Venezuela “counts on President Trump… as our main allies in achieving Freedom and democracy.” This year’s award was widely discussed in the lead-up to the announcement due to public lobbying by President Trump, who ultimately did not win the prize.
The United Nations human rights office and European Union Chief Ursula von der Leyen were among those who swiftly congratulated Machado. A spokesperson for the UN rights office stated that the recognition “reflects the clear aspirations of the people of Venezuela for free and fair elections, for civil and political rights and for the rule of law”.
The prize, which includes a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.2 million), a medal, and a diploma, will be formally presented at a ceremony in Oslo on December 10. The Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed hope that the recognition would “support her cause and not limit it,” as she continues her pro-democracy struggle from within the country.