She receives the Peace Prize for her work promoting the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela
She receives the Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
As a leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela, María Corina Machado is an example of civic courage in Latin America, says Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Nobel Committee.
The majority of Venezuelans live in extreme poverty, while a small elite lives in abundance. The violent state apparatus attacks its own population. Nearly eight million people have left the country, he says.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to Maria Corina Machado.
For her tireless work to guarantee the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela and for her struggle for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to popular rule.
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to a person of courage, integrity, and a champion of peace: a woman who keeps the flame of democracy alive amidst increasing darkness.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to Maria Corina Machado.
She receives the prize for her tireless work to guarantee the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela and for her struggle for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to popular rule.
As a leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela, María Corina Machado is one of the most extraordinary examples of civic courage in Latin America in recent times.
Machado has been instrumental in uniting a deeply divided political opposition. An opposition that has united in demanding free elections and representative government. This is precisely what democracy means: that we collectively defend the principles that guarantee popular government, even if we disagree. In times when democracy is threatened, this community is more important than ever.
From a relatively democratic and prosperous country, Venezuela has become a brutal authoritarian state mired in a humanitarian and economic crisis. The majority of the population lives in extreme poverty, while the few at the top enrich themselves. The violent state apparatus is directed against its own citizens. Nearly 8 million people have fled the country. The opposition has been systematically repressed through electoral fraud, prosecutions, and imprisonment.
The Venezuelan dictatorship makes political work extremely difficult. As one of the driving forces behind Súmate, an organization working to build democracy, Machado emerged as a champion of free and fair elections more than two decades ago. As Machado herself put it, “It was a choice between votes and bullets.” Through her political positions and her work in organizations, Machado has championed an independent judiciary, human rights, and popular government. She has fought for years for the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
Before the 2024 presidential elections, Machado was the leading opposition candidate, but the regime blocked her candidacy. She subsequently supported another party’s candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, in the presidential elections. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers, regardless of political divisions, were mobilized. They received training in election observation to ensure open and fair elections. Despite the risk of harassment, arrest, and torture, citizens across the country guarded the polling stations. They ensured that the election results were documented before the regime could destroy the ballots and lie about the outcome.
The work of the united opposition, both before and during the elections, was innovative and courageous, peaceful and democratic. The opposition received international support by publishing the results from the electoral districts, which demonstrated its clear victory. However, the regime refused to accept the election results and clung to power.
Democracy is a prerequisite for lasting peace. Yet we live in a world in decline, where a growing number of authoritarian regimes defy fundamental norms and resort to violence. Clinging to power and oppressing their people is not unique to Venezuela. It reflects a global trend: the rule of law is abused, free media is silenced, critics are imprisoned, and societies are being dragged in a more authoritarian and militarized direction. In 2024, more elections were held than ever before, but fewer and fewer are free and fair.
Throughout its long history, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has honored courageous women and men who have stood up against oppression, who have brought hope for freedom both in prison and in the streets and squares, and who have thus demonstrated that peaceful resistance can change the world. For the past year, Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats to her life, she has remained in the country, an inspiration to millions.
When authoritarians seize power, it is essential to recognize the courageous defenders of freedom, those who rise up and resist. Democracy depends on those who refuse to be silent, who dare to speak out even when the price is high, and who remind us that freedom can never be taken for granted, but must be defended with words, courage, and perseverance.
María Corina Machado meets the three criteria of Alfred Nobel’s will. She has united the opposition. She has stood firm against the militarization of Venezuelan society. She has worked tirelessly for a peaceful transition to democracy.
María Corina Machado has demonstrated that the tools of democracy are also tools of peace. She expresses her hope for a different future where citizens’ fundamental rights are protected and their voices are heard. In such a future, people will finally be free to live in peace.
