The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado “
for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Born in Caracas in 1967, Machado initially pursued a career as an industrial engineer. In 2002, Machado co-founded Súmate, an organisation devoted to monitor elections, and later led Vente Venezuela, a political movement advocating for liberty and transparency.
Despite a 15-year public office ban in 2017, extended in 2023, which barred her from the 2024 presidential race, she secured a 2023 primary win with over 92% of votes and supported unified opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia. Her leadership in coordinating volunteer networks to expose alleged electoral fraud in July 2024 highlighted Venezuela's democratic crisis, prompting international calls for accountability.
The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony will take place in Oslo on December 10, 2025.
Last year’s recipient was the Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
For more information and resources:
https://www.nobelprize.org/