Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her relentless struggle to rescue her nation from what the Nobel Committee called “a brutal, authoritarian state.”
Machado, 58, often dubbed Venezuela’s Iron Lady, has spent the past year in hiding after her movement was widely believed to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in the disputed July 2024 presidential election. Maduro rejected the result, forcing Machado underground and her ally, Edmundo González, into exile amid a violent political crackdown.
In a video posted by González on social media, Machado reacted with disbelief to news of her Nobel win. “I can’t believe it! My God!” she exclaimed. The Norwegian Nobel Institute also released footage of the moment she received the call, expressing both shock and humility.
2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Machado dedicated the prize to “the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support,” calling it an inspiration to “conquer freedom” with help from the U.S., Latin America, and other democratic allies.
María Corina Machado 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Committee praised Machado’s “extraordinary civilian courage” and lauded Venezuela’s opposition for its peaceful campaign to defend democracy. It condemned the Maduro government’s refusal to accept the 2024 election results and the country’s slide into dictatorship, poverty, and repression, with nearly eight million citizens having fled abroad.
A veteran of Venezuelan politics, Machado served in parliament from 2011 to 2014 and has long been one of the most vocal critics of both Hugo Chávez and Maduro. Her 2024 campaign drew massive crowds, driven by promises to reunite families torn apart by migration and restore democracy.
Although banned from running for president, Machado’s influence has remained decisive. “She will go down in history as the great opposition leader of our times,” said political author Carlos Lizarralde.
While admired internationally, Machado remains divisive at home. Critics question her past calls for foreign military intervention and close ties to figures like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. Still, her supporters see the Nobel recognition as both moral validation and protection from persecution.
“This now truly protects her,” said opposition ally Pedro Mario Burelli. “The cost of targeting her would be unbearable for Maduro’s regime. Now, she’s bulletproof” 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
