The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on October 10 to María Corina Machado, praising, “She keeps the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness”.
In a statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres commended her, saying, “Ms. Machado has been a champion of democracy and a voice of unity in Venezuela.”
Known as Venezuela's "Iron Lady," the 58-year-old Machado has been leading a political movement challenging the country's authoritarian leaders for over two decades. Venezuela has been under autocratic control throughout that period and is currently led by President Nicolás Maduro, whose 2024 election victory was widely denounced as non-democratic and unfair. Machado and much of the international community have accused Maduro of stealing the election.
Machado studied engineering and finance and briefly worked in the private sector before entering public life. In 1992, she founded the Atenea Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting street children in Caracas. In the early 2000s, she was one of the founders of Súmate, which promotes free and fair elections by conducting training and election monitoring. She was elected to the National Assembly in 2010 with a record number of votes, quickly becoming a widely respected lawmaker who sought to challenge Venezuela’s authoritarian leadership through elections. Then, the regime expelled her from office in 2014 after the state prosecutor’s office charged her with taking part in an alleged plot to kill President Maduro. Machado leads the Vente Venezuela opposition party and in 2017 helped found the Soy Venezuela alliance, which has united pro-democracy groups that were historically divided.
In 2023, she announced her bid for the 2024 presidential election, but Venezuelan authorities barred her from running. She thus shifted her support to the opposition’s alternative candidate, former diplomat Edmundo González, who went on to defeat Maduro last year, according to collected systematic documentation like the Carter Center.
Nevertheless, Venezuelan officials declared Maduro the winner. His government then launched a campaign of repression, including disqualifications, arrests, and human rights violations against those who challenged his administration’s interpretation of the election. More than 2,000 people were reportedly arrested for protesting the contested results.
Despite Machado’s recognition, her win with the Nobel Peace Prize has been somewhat controversial. Notably, she has voiced strong support for Trump’s military pressure campaign targeting Maduro and has refused to criticize the deadly U.S. strikes on boats that the Trump administration claims were transporting illicit drugs. Legal experts argue the strikes were unlawful, noting that the U.S. military is prohibited from intentionally targeting civilians who do not pose an imminent threat. Thus, critics have accused Machado of amplifying exaggerated claims and misinformation to justify potential U.S. military intervention.
Maduro, for his part, has accused Machado of conspiracy and terrorism, and says she is under investigation for supporting the U.S. deployment of military forces in the Caribbean. However, Machado has responded that she believes winning the Nobel Prize will provide her with protection from the regime. Meanwhile, on December 6, supporters held demonstrations in several cities around the world to celebrate her and Venezuela’s first Nobel Peace Prize.