Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her unwavering commitment to democracy and human rights in Venezuela, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday.
Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes described Machado as “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.”
Frydnes noted that Machado, who has lived in hiding over the past year amid serious threats to her life, has “inspired millions by choosing to remain in the country despite persecution.”
Machado, a former opposition presidential candidate, was disqualified from running against President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s election. Her replacement, Edmundo González, a political newcomer, later faced an arrest warrant and fled to Spain, where he was granted asylum.
The lead-up to the election saw widespread repression, including arrests, human rights abuses, and the disqualification of opposition figures. Despite credible evidence of electoral irregularities, the National Electoral Council, dominated by Maduro loyalists, declared him the winner. The disputed results triggered mass protests across Venezuela, leaving more than 20 people dead and prompting several countries, including Argentina, to sever diplomatic ties with Caracas.
Machado has not appeared publicly since January and remains in hiding.
Speculation ahead of the Nobel announcement included possible recognition for U.S. President Donald Trump following his recent Gaza ceasefire proposal, but the committee emphasized its focus on “durable peace, international fraternity, and the courageous defense of freedom.”
Last year’s prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots organization of Japanese atomic bomb survivors advocating for nuclear disarmament.
The Nobel Peace Prize remains the only Nobel award presented in Oslo, Norway, while the prizes in medicine, physics, chemistry, and literature are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. The Nobel Prize in Economics will be announced on Monday.
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