OSLO: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote democracy and human rights in Venezuela, as the country continues to face years of political and economic turmoil under President Nicolás Maduro.
Announcing the award in Oslo on Friday, Jorgen Watne Frydens, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, described Machado as a brave and committed champion of peace,” commending her long-standing push for democratic reform in Venezuela. Machado is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize first and foremost for her efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela, the committee said. “Democracy is the foundation of peace both within and between countries, yet it is increasingly under threat worldwide.”
Machado, an industrial engineer and leader of the opposition party Vente Venezuela, has been one of the most vocal critics of Maduro’s government, which has ruled since 2013. She has led calls for fair elections and the restoration of constitutional order in the oil-rich nation
Reacting to the announcement, Machado posted a message on X (formerly Twitter), dedicating the prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Donald Trump for his decisive support of our cause.
She added that the recognition was “a boost to complete our task to conquer freedom.
The mention of former U.S. President Donald Trump sparked political debate in Washington, where White House officials criticised the committee’s decision. Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, said on X that the Nobel Committee had chosen “politics over peace.”
Frydens, however, dismissed suggestions that political lobbying influenced the award, insisting that the committee’s deliberations were based solely on Nobel’s vision of peace through human rights and democracy.
Machado’s decades-long activism has made her a central figure in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement.
She co-founded Súmate in 2002, an organization that promotes free and fair elections, and was elected to Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2010 with a record number of votes before being expelled in 2014 by the Maduro regime.
In its citation, the Nobel Committee noted that Machado “meets all three criteria stated in Alfred Nobel’s will, having united Venezuela’s opposition, opposed militarization, and championed a peaceful transition to democracy.
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 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony will take place on December 10, 2025, in Oslo, Norway.
Last year’s prize went to Japan’s Nihon Hidankyo, a group of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors advocating for a world free of nuclear weapons.
This year, the Nobel Committee received 338 nominations, including 244 individuals and 94 organizations one of the highest tallies in recent years.
