By Obinna Uballa
Venezuelan opposition leader and democracy campaigner, María Corina Machado, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” and her “struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Machado, who has been in hiding since August 2024 after Venezuela’s controversial presidential election, was recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.”
Announcing the award in Oslo on Friday, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Nobel Committee, said Machado “has been a key unifying figure, bringing together the country’s fractured opposition and demonstrating that the tools of democracy are also tools for peace.”
He added: “This prize honours a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness. At a time when democracy is under threat globally, it is more important than ever to defend this common ground.”
The committee said Venezuela’s opposition had “received international support when its leaders published voting tallies it gathered with the help of election observers,” noting that President Nicolás Maduro’s regime “refused to accept the election result and clung to power.”
Frydnes also warned that “democratic work is dangerous in Venezuela,” describing Machado as someone who “chose ballots over bullets more than two decades ago and has spent years fighting for freedom.”
A Leader in Hiding
Machado, 56, disappeared from public view after the disputed July 2024 presidential election, which was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair. She had been barred from running and her chosen replacement, Edmundo González, was disqualified by the Maduro government.
In a letter published in The Wall Street Journal titled “I Can Prove Maduro Got Trounced”, Machado wrote: “I am writing this from hiding, fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen from the dictatorship led by Nicolás Maduro.”
She claimed to have evidence that Maduro lost the election by a wide margin, adding that “minutes after returns began coming in, we confirmed that our victory was overwhelming.”
She briefly resurfaced in January 2025 during a protest in Caracas, where she was detained and later released.
A Snub for Donald Trump
The decision also represents a major snub to United States President Donald Trump, who had mounted a public campaign urging the Nobel Committee to award him the 2025 Peace Prize.
Asked whether the political lobbying influenced the committee’s deliberations, Frydnes dismissed any external pressure, saying: “In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, we have seen campaigns and media tension. We base our decision only on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”
Trump, who began his second term in January 2025, had claimed credit for several international peace initiatives and received endorsements from supporters who argued that he deserved recognition for his “global leadership.” However, nominations for this year’s prize closed earlier in the year, before his campaign gained momentum.
Symbol of Hope
The Nobel Committee said it hopes the award will “support rather than endanger” Machado’s cause, acknowledging the serious threats to her life.
“She embodies hope for a future where Venezuelans can live freely, under democratic rule,” Frydnes said. “In that future, citizens’ rights will be protected, and people will finally be free to live in peace.”
Machado’s recognition is expected to galvanise international attention on Venezuela’s democratic struggle and lend renewed momentum to calls for political reform in the South American nation.
