OSLO, (dawatmedia24) October 10, 2025
In a decision that resonated across the global political landscape, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, recognized for her decades-long struggle against authoritarianism in her homeland.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, in its citation, awarded the prize to 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.” The committee highlighted her “unwavering commitment to non-violent resistance and her leadership in uniting a fractured opposition in the face of immense personal risk and political persecution.”
The selection is seen as a pointed geopolitical statement, coming in a year dominated by public campaigns from other world figures. Most notably, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly asserted that he deserves the prize, primarily for his role in brokering the “Abraham Accords” between Israel and several Arab nations during his first term. However, the Nobel committee appeared to deliberately shift the spotlight, choosing to honor a figure emblematic of grassroots democratic mobilization over top-down diplomacy.
A Life of Defiance and Democratic Struggle
Machado, a 57-year-old former member of the National Assembly, has been a central and often controversial figure in Venezuelan politics for over two decades. A staunch advocate of free-market economics and democracy, she rose to prominence as a fierce critic of the late President Hugo Chávez and his successor, Nicolás Maduro.
Her political career has been marked by significant personal sacrifice. She was banned from holding public office in 2015 by the Maduro government on unsubstantiated charges of corruption, a move widely condemned by international human rights groups as politically motivated. Despite being barred from running in the 2024 presidential election, which was widely criticized as neither free nor fair, Machado remained the de facto leader of the opposition, mobilizing millions in protest and serving as a powerful symbolic figure for the resistance.
“This prize is not for me; it is for the brave people of Venezuela who have suffered for years but never lost their hope for a free country,” Machado said in a statement from an undisclosed location in Caracas. “It is a recognition that our peaceful fight is just, and it sends a message to the dictatorship that the world is watching.”
A Deliberate Choice in a Contentious Year
Ahead of the announcement, Nobel experts had widely downplayed President Trump’s chances. “While the Abraham Accords were a significant achievement, the committee traditionally values a consistent body of work fostering peace and international cooperation,” said Dr. Henrik Urdal, Director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). “President Trump’s tenure has been characterized by a dismantling of the multilateral international order that the Nobel committee cherishes, making his candidacy highly unlikely.”
By awarding the prize to Machado, the committee has done more than honor an individual; it has thrown its weight behind the Venezuelan opposition at a critical juncture. The country remains mired in a profound economic and humanitarian crisis, with millions having fled widespread poverty and political repression.
“This award reinvigorates the morale of our movement,” said Leopoldo López, another key opposition leader and ally of Machado. “It isolates the Maduro regime further and puts the struggle for Venezuelan democracy back on the front page.”
The Nobel Peace Prize, worth 11 million Swedish crowns (approximately $1.2 million), will be presented in a formal ceremony in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will. The event is expected to be a focal point for international attention on the ongoing crisis in Venezuela and a powerful platform for Machado’s message of peaceful democratic change.
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