Oslo: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her unwavering struggle against dictatorship in Venezuela and her advocacy for democratic freedoms.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was honoring Machado “for her courageous defense of freedom and democracy under authoritarian rule.” The 58-year-old industrial engineer and longtime critic of President Nicolás Maduro has become a symbol of resistance in a country grappling with deep political and economic turmoil.
Recognition of Courage Under Repression
Machado was barred by Venezuela’s courts in 2024 from running in the presidential election, preventing her from challenging Maduro, who secured a third term earlier this year despite widespread allegations of electoral fraud.
After being blocked, Machado backed opposition candidate and former ambassador Edmundo González, rallying large crowds across the country before members of her campaign team were arrested or sought refuge in Argentina’s embassy in Caracas.
In an emotional phone call with Nobel official Kristian Berg Harpviken, posted by the committee on social media, Machado expressed disbelief at the honor. “Oh my God… I have no words. I don’t deserve this,” she said.
BREAKING NEWS
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2025 #NobelPeacePrize to Maria Corina 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… pic.twitter.com/Zgth8KNJk9— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 10, 2025
It remains unclear whether Machado will be able to attend the award ceremony in Oslo on December 10. If prevented, she would join a small group of laureates who could not personally receive the prize, including Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov (1975), Poland’s Lech Wałęsa (1983), and Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi (1991).
Machado becomes the first Venezuelan and the sixth Latin American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The United Nations human rights office welcomed the award as a tribute to the clear aspirations of the people of Venezuela for free and fair elections.
Joergen Watne Frydnes, head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the prize was intended to encourage renewed efforts toward a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
Global Reactions
The announcement also came amid attention from US President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his global diplomacy efforts.
Analysts said the decision reflected the committee’s independence from political influence. “The democratic opposition in Venezuela has long enjoyed U.S. support, but this award clearly shows that the Nobel Committee is not swayed by external pressure or populist claims,” said Halvard Leira, research director at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
The committee’s decision was finalized before Wednesday’s announcement of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal linked to Trump’s peace initiative, which some speculated might have influenced this year’s outcome.
