The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 has gone to Maria Corina Machado. The committee lauded "her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela."
Machado says she is 'in shock' after winning the Nobel Peace Prize
Edmundo Gonzalez, Maria Corina Machado's ally who lives in exile in Spain, posted a video of himself speaking on the phone with Machado.
"I am in shock," she said, adding, "I cannot believe it."
In a post on X, Gonzalez celebrated Machado's Nobel Peace Prize win, calling it "very well-deserved recognition for the long fight of a woman and a whole people for our freedom and democracy."
Who is Maria Corina Machado?
Maria Corina Machado, this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, is a 58-year-old Venezuelan opposition activist and industrial engineer who lives in hiding.
In 1992, she founded the Atenea Foundation to benefit street children in Caracas. Ten years later, she co-founded Sumate, an organization that promotes free and fair elections and conducts training and election monitoring.
In 2010, Machado won a record number of votes and was elected to the National Assembly. The regime expelled her from office in 2014.
She leads the Vente Venezuela opposition party and, in 2017, helped found the Soy Venezuela alliance, uniting pro-democracy forces across political divides in the country.
In 2023, Machado announced her candidacy for president in the 2024 presidential election. However, in 2024, Venezuela's courts blocked her from running for president and challenging President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013.
Crackdown on opposition in Venezuela
Edmundo Gonzalez, who had never run for office before, took her place. Widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests, and human rights violations, preceded the election.
The crackdown on dissent only increased after the National Electoral Council, stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared Maduro the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary.
The election results announced by the council sparked mass protests across the country, to which the government responded with force, resulting in more than 20 deaths.
Machado went into hiding and has not been seen in public since January. A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez, who moved to Spain and was granted asylum.
Last year, Machado and Gonzalez received the Sakharov Prize, the European Union's highest human rights honor.
EU says Nobel Prize to Machado sends 'powerful message'
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen celebrated Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize win.
In a post on X, she stressed that the prize not only honored Machado's courage but also the courage of every voice "that refuses to be silenced."
"In Venezuela and across the world. It sends a powerful message. The spirit of freedom cannot be jailed. The thirst for democracy always prevails. Dear Maria, the fight continues," von der Leyen wrote.
Meanwhile, European Council President Antonio Costa called the prize a testament to Machado's "tireless work for justice."
"For your steadfast commitment to democracy, human rights, and your fight for freedom in Venezuela," he added on X.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said she is proud of Machado for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
"Your tireless struggle for freedom and democracy in Venezuela has touched hearts and inspired millions across the globe," she wrote on X.
Germany congratulates Machado, praises her courage
The German government has congratulated Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on winning this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
According to government spokesperson Steffen Meyer in Berlin, with this award, the Nobel Committee is honoring "her courageous and long-standing commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights in Venezuela, as well as her contribution to strengthening Venezuelan civil society."
Meyer added that the award represents support for "all those who peacefully campaign for political freedom, justice, and human rights protection in Venezuela, Latin America, and around the world."
Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul praised Machado as a "voice for freedom worldwide."
On X, he praised the opposition leader, writing, "The courage, strength, and steadfastness with which you keep the hope for democracy alive in Venezuela are admirable."
White House complains Nobel Committee puts 'politics above peace'
The White House accused the Nobel Peace Prize committee of prioritizing politics over peace by awarding the prize to a Venezuelan opposition leader instead of US President Donald Trump.
"President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will," White House spokesperson Steven
Cheung said in a post on X.
"The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace," he added.
Earlier this year, Trump repeatedly claimed that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for resolving conflicts, including those between Pakistan and India, as well as between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Machado believes opposition will prevail in Venezuela
Maria Corina Machado said she was confident that the opposition would succeed in securing a peaceful transition to democracy in her home country of Venezuela.
"We're not there yet. We're working very hard to achieve it, but I'm sure that we will prevail," she told Kristian Berg Harpviken, the director of the Nobel Institute and secretary of the Nobel Committee, when he called to inform her that she had won the 2025 Peace Prize.
"This is certainly the biggest recognition to our people that certainly deserve it," she said, adding: "I am just, you know, one person. I certainly do not deserve this."
