In a long awaited announcement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader.
She is known for her courageous fight for democracy in Venezuela, which is currently facing what some consider to be a dictatorship. The decision highlights a powerful story of resistance happening right now, as Machado is currently hiding for her safety.
The Nobel Committee has described Machado by claiming that she has been keeping “the flame of democracy burning” in Venezuela against an increasingly authoritarian regime. The award is seen as a major statement of international support for democratic movements worldwide.
Maria Corina Machado did not begin as an activist or politician, but rather as an engineer. She first studied engineering and finance, but her journey into activism first started when she founded a foundation that supported street children in Caracas, Venezuela, the capital.
Her focus then evolved to politics when she helped found Sumate, an organization dedicated to making sure there were free and fair elections. She was then elected to Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2010 but was later expelled four years later on false charges that her supporters claim were made up to silence her.
Machado was supposed to be the main candidate challenging President Nicolas Maduro in the 2024 presidential election. However, she was prohibited from running by the government.
Instead of giving up, she helped unite the opposition behind another candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez. In a massive display of grassroots support, hundreds of thousands of volunteers worked together in the election process. Despite this, Maduro claimed victory.
Fearing for her life, Machado went into hiding in August 2024. The Nobel Committee specifically noted that she has chosen to stay in Venezuela despite “serious threats,” calling her an inspiration to millions of people around the world.
The award sends a message that goes beyond Venezuela. The committee used this occasion to warn about a global trend where democracy is “in retreat” and authoritarian governments are on the rise.
The decision was also a big deal in American politics due to significant speculation that the U.S. President, Donald Trump, would win due to his “Peace Plan” in the middle east which is supposed to stop the war in Gaza. After the announcement, the White House criticized the choice and accused the Committee of putting “politics over peace.”
When she received the life-changing phone call informing her of the award, Machado exclaimed, “Oh my God! I have no words.”
She insisted the honor belonged not to her, but to the entire movement of the Venezuelan people, adding, “We’re not there yet…but I am certain we will prevail.”
