Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday — edging out US President Donald Trump and other prominent leaders. The former industrial engineer has been a vocal critic of the Nicolás Maduro government and currently remains in hiding to avoid persecution. The Norwegian Nobel committee hailed Machado as a “key, unifying figure” in the once-divided political opposition and highlighted her multi-decade work towards freedom for the Venezuelan people.
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize 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 democracy,” confirmed an official update.
The lead-up to this year’s award had been dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated public statements that he deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee took its final decision before a ceasefire and hostage deal under the first phase of Trump’s initiative to end the war in Gaza was announced on Wednesday.
Who is María Corina Machado?
Machado is one of the most prominent Opposition figures in Venezuela — currently “forced to live in hiding” amid serious threats against her life. She was blocked by the courts from running as President against Maduro in 2024 and later championed the candidature of Edmundo González Urrutia.
“Venezuela’s authoritarian regime makes political work extremely difficult. As a founder of Súmate, an organisation devoted to democratic development, Ms Machado stood up for free and fair elections more than 20 years ago. As she said: “It was a choice of ballots over bullets.” In political office and in her service to organisations since then, Ms Machado has spoken out for judicial independence, human rights and popular representation. She has spent years working for the freedom of the Venezuelan people,” the Nobel committee added.