Venezuelan opposition leader and pro-democracy activist María Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, recognized for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” and her fight for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
Announcing the award in Oslo, Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes described Machado as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America,” praising her decision to remain in Venezuela despite threats to her life — a choice that has “inspired millions.”
The 58-year-old, who has lived in hiding for the past year, reacted with surprise, saying, “I am in shock,” in a video shared by her team.
Machado, once barred from contesting Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, became a unifying figure in the opposition after backing candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who hailed her win as a “well-deserved recognition of the long struggle for freedom and democracy.”
An engineer-turned-activist, Machado has long been a prominent voice against the rule of Nicolás Maduro, previously facing treason charges for leading a 2002 recall effort against Hugo Chávez. She has also received the EU’s Sakharov Prize and the Vaclav Havel Prize for human rights.
The Nobel Committee said Venezuela has descended into a “brutal authoritarian state” marked by repression, economic collapse, and humanitarian crisis — and lauded Machado for standing firm as a “unifying force” amid the chaos.
The $1.2 million prize will be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
