The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader and long-time democracy advocate.
Announcing the decision in Oslo today, the Committee praised Machado for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
The committee’s chair, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, emphasized that Machado’s efforts symbolize a broader movement for civil liberties in authoritarian regimes and underscore the international importance of peaceful resistance.
Machado, a former lawmaker and presidential candidate, has long been a vocal critic of Venezuela’s ruling government. She has faced repeated political bans, arrests of allies, and state-led intimidation yet continues to push for free and fair elections and constitutional governance.
