Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and democracy activist, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Thursday. She was recognized for her tireless work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela and for her efforts to achieve a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
In its official statement, the Nobel Committee described Machado as “a brave and committed champion of peace – a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.” The committee praised her as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.”
As the leader of Venezuela’s opposition, Machado has played a unifying role in a movement that was previously divided, the committee said. “Ms Machado has been a key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided – an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government. This is precisely what lies at the heart of democracy: our shared willingness to defend the principles of popular rule, even though we disagree.”
The Nobel Committee highlighted Venezuela’s dramatic decline from a relatively democratic and prosperous nation to an authoritarian state facing a severe humanitarian and economic crisis. “Most Venezuelans live in deep poverty, even as the few at the top enrich themselves. The violent machinery of the state is directed against the country’s own citizens. Nearly 8 million people have left the country. The opposition has been systematically suppressed by means of election rigging, legal prosecution and imprisonment,” the press release noted.
Machado, who co-founded the organization Súmate more than 20 years ago, has long advocated for free and fair elections in Venezuela. The committee quoted her own words: “It was a choice of ballots over bullets.” In 2024, she was the opposition’s presidential candidate, but her candidacy was blocked by the regime. She subsequently supported Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, another opposition candidate, and hundreds of thousands of volunteers helped monitor polling stations across the country. Despite the risks of harassment, arrest, and torture, these observers ensured that vote tallies were recorded before the regime could interfere, the Nobel Committee said.
The press release stressed that democracy is a precondition for lasting peace, noting that authoritarianism is on the rise worldwide. “We live in a world where democracy is in retreat, where more and more authoritarian regimes are challenging norms and resorting to violence. The Venezuelan regime’s rigid hold on power and its repression of the population are not unique in the world. We see the same trends globally: rule of law abused by those in control, free media silenced, critics imprisoned, and societies pushed towards authoritarian rule and militarisation.”
Despite threats to her life, Machado has remained in Venezuela, inspiring millions. “In the past year, Ms Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people,” the Nobel Committee said.
The committee concluded that Machado “meets all three criteria stated in Alfred Nobel’s will for the selection of a Peace Prize laureate. She has brought her country’s opposition together. She has never wavered in resisting the militarisation of Venezuelan society. She has been steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy.”
“Maria Corina Machado has shown that the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace. She embodies the hope of a different future, one where the fundamental rights of citizens are protected, and their voices are heard. In this future, people will finally be free to live in peace,” the Nobel Committee said.
