Venezuelan opponent Maria Corina Machado received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday October 10 for her commitment to a peaceful transition to democracy in her country, led for more than a decade by Nicolas Maduro.
An industrial engineer by training, Maria Corina Machado, 58, has become one of the most emblematic faces of the Venezuelan opposition. A former member of the National Assembly, she has established herself as the main rival of Nicolas Maduro, whom she accuses of leading Venezuela “towards economic and moral ruin”.
Founder of the Sale Venezuela movement, Machado has campaigned for more than twenty years for the return to the rule of law, the end of corruption and free elections. Her determination has led to her being arrested several times, banned from holding any public office and even prevented from running in the 2024 presidential election, despite a large victory in the opposition primaries.
In awarding him the Nobel, the Norwegian Committee praised “one of the most extraordinary examples of civic courage in Latin America”. According to its president Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Machado “embodies the peaceful struggle of a people for freedom and dignity in the face of oppression”.
The committee emphasizes that its action is part of a non-violent approach, favoring dialogue and democratic means to achieve political change in Venezuela, a country plunged for years into a serious economic and humanitarian crisis.
This Nobel Prize sends a clear signal to the regime of Nicolas Maduro, regularly accused of repressing the opposition and rigging elections. For many observers, this distinction strengthens Machado’s international legitimacy and renews diplomatic pressure on Caracas.
In a social media post after the announcement, Machado dedicated his award “to the Venezuelan people who never stopped believing in freedom.”
