Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado — hailed as “la libertadora” in homage to independence hero Simón Bolívar — has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her courage and leadership in championing democracy under President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian rule.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday praised Machado’s “unwavering commitment to human rights, political freedom, and the nonviolent pursuit of democratic governance” in Venezuela.
Machado, long regarded as the most popular politician in the country, has become the face and fire of Venezuela’s opposition movement. Though barred from contesting the 2024 presidential election, detained, and later released, she continued to inspire widespread resistance against Maduro’s government.
In July, on the anniversary of Maduro’s disputed re-election, Machado urged “clandestine resistance” and later went into hiding amid reports she may be sheltering at the U.S. embassy.
Despite her disqualification, Machado threw her weight behind Edmundo González Urrutia, a little-known ex-diplomat who replaced her on the ballot. Her charisma and energy on the campaign trail — always clad in white and adorned with rosaries gifted by supporters — turned González Urrutia into a viable symbol of democratic defiance.
“Yes, we can!” (Si, se puede!) her supporters chanted at rallies as thousands flooded the streets, waving Venezuelan flags and clamouring to touch or glimpse their champion.
Machado’s popularity, however, was not enough to overturn Maduro’s hold on power. Although the European Union and several countries have recognised González Urrutia as Venezuela’s president-elect, Maduro continues to control the state apparatus.
The Nobel Peace Prize announcement comes amid rising U.S. military activity off Venezuela’s coast, where Washington claims to be targeting drug traffickers linked to the Maduro regime. At least 21 people have been reported killed in recent strikes.
In a recent joint statement, Machado and González Urrutia described U.S. pressure as a “necessary measure to restore popular sovereignty in Venezuela”, accusing Maduro’s government of trafficking “drugs, minerals, metals, weapons, and human beings.”
Machado has also warned that Venezuelan criminal networks pose “a real and growing threat to the security and stability of the Americas.”
Born in Caracas, the 57-year-old industrial engineer and former legislator has long been a fierce critic of Venezuela’s socialist governments. With the Nobel Peace Prize, her decades-long struggle for freedom and accountability in her homeland has gained global validation — and renewed hope for millions of Venezuelans yearning for change.
