Mugdha Das

Nobel Peace Prize 2025 awarded to Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado

Digital Desk: Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to combat dictatorship and advance democracy in her nation. The former opposition presidential candidate received praise for being a "key, unifying figure" in the fight against the "brutal" Venezuelan government.

The committee praised 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." Machado has dedicated more than 20 years to advocating for free elections and civic freedoms.

Machado is being praised for being a "key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided - an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government," according to Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Moreover, authorities prohibited Machado from running for president of Venezuela in 2024. Rather, she supported opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, spearheading a nationwide volunteer effort to keep an eye on polling places. Their efforts exposed an opposition victory that the regime refused to recognize in spite of intimidation and harassment.

Despite threats and persecution, Machado has long opposed the repressive government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Edmundo Gonzalez, a political newcomer, took her place after she was disqualified from running in the most recent elections.

A National Electoral Council full of Maduro's supporters announced his contentious victory after the elections were marred by widespread repression, disqualifications, and human rights abuses. This resulted in protests across the country, violent government crackdowns that killed more than 20 people, and the breaking of diplomatic ties with nations like Argentina.

Machado, who is currently in hiding because of threats against her life, has stated that she is fighting for both political change and the freedom of all Venezuelans.