Venezuelan opposition leader and pro-democracy activist Maria Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday, October 10.
Machado was recognised “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,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Nobel Committee, in Oslo.
The committee hailed Machado as “a brave and committed champion of peace,” emphasizing that her leadership embodies the principles of democracy — freedom of expression, fair elections, and representative governance — which are essential foundations for peace.
“Maria Corina Machado has led the struggle for democracy in the face of ever-expanding authoritarianism in Venezuela,” the committee said.
A trained industrial engineer and politician, Machado began her activism in the early 1990s. She founded the Atenea Foundation in 1992 to support street children in Caracas and co-founded Súmate in 2002, an organisation promoting free and fair elections. In 2010, she was elected to Venezuela’s National Assembly with a record number of votes but was expelled by the Maduro regime in 2014.
Today, she leads the Vente Venezuela opposition party and helped form the Soy Venezuela alliance in 2017, which unites pro-democracy forces across political divides.
The Nobel Committee’s citation also linked Machado’s work to the global decline of democracy:
“Democracy is a precondition for lasting peace… In a world where authoritarian regimes are on the rise, Maria Corina Machado represents courage, integrity, and the enduring hope for freedom.”
Frydnes dismissed suggestions that external campaigns, including that of former U.S. President Donald Trump, influenced the decision, stressing that the committee’s work is guided solely by Alfred Nobel’s will and the laureates’ contributions to peace.
The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony will take place on December 10, 2025, in Oslo, Norway.
This year’s selection emerged from 338 nominations — 244 individuals and 94 organizations — one of the highest in recent years, reflecting the global urgency for peace and democratic renewal.
