Maria Corina Machado: Venezuelan Democracy Champion Awarded 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

Maria Corina Machado, born in Venezuela in 1967, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her "tireless work promoting democratic rights" and her efforts toward a peaceful transition from dictatorship in Venezuela.

The Nobel Committee recognized Machado, often referred to as the "iron lady," specifically "for her efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela." This prestigious honor comes alongside her recent inclusion in Time's '100 Most Influential People of 2025'.

With a background in engineering and finance, Machado initially pursued a career in business before dedicating herself to social and political causes. In 1992, she established the Atenea Foundation, an organization committed to supporting street children in Caracas.

Machado co-founded Sumate in 2002, an organization devoted to promoting free and fair elections in Venezuela through voter training and election monitoring. This initiative has been instrumental in advocating for transparency and democratic rights in the country.

In 2010, she was elected to the National Assembly with a record number of votes. During her tenure as a parliamentarian, Machado emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Nicolas Maduro's regime, consistently denouncing institutional abuses, economic mismanagement, and human rights violations. Following her address to the Organisation of American States about human rights abuses in Venezuela in March 2014, she was arbitrarily removed from her position by the President of the National Assembly.

In 2013, Machado co-founded the liberal opposition party Vente Venezuela and served as its National Coordinator. She later helped establish the Soy Venezuela alliance in 2017, uniting various pro-democracy groups across political divides. Although she announced her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election in 2023, she was prevented from running and subsequently supported opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

According to The NY Post, Machado has been in hiding for more than 14 months due to threats and repression from President Maduro's regime. She went underground following the disputed 2024 presidential election, which international observers and opposition groups widely condemned as fraudulent. After being blocked from running, she and other opposition leaders were accused of treason and conspiracy by the government.

Selected from a pool of 338 candidates (244 individuals and 94 organizations), Machado will receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize worth 11 million Swedish crowns. The award ceremony will take place in Oslo on December 10, marking the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.