Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado Wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize: "I Don't Deserve It"

Machado expressed shock upon learning she had won the Nobel Peace Prize, visibly tearing up during the announcement call.

New Delhi:

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her courageous fight against dictatorship in Venezuela. At 58, Machado has made history as the first Venezuelan and only the sixth Latin American to receive this prestigious honor.

Just moments before the public announcement, Machado received a personal phone call from Kristian Berg Harpviken, the Norwegian Nobel Institute's director, informing her of the committee's decision.

Her reaction was one of complete astonishment, with visible emotion as she processed the news.

'I Don't Deserve The Nobel Prize'

The Nobel Committee shared a recording of the emotional conversation on their social media platforms.

"Oh my God ... I have no words," Machado told Harpviken during their call. "I thank you so much, but I hope you understand this is a movement; this is an achievement of a whole society. I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve it," she added with humility.

Harpviken apologized for waking her in the middle of the night and requested she keep the information confidential until the official announcement. "After that, you are more than welcome to tell anyone you would like," Harpviken explained.

"I think it will take me a lot longer to believe what I just heard," Machado responded, still processing the news.

She emphasized that the prize represented recognition for the Venezuelan people as a whole, rather than her individual efforts.

About Maria Machado

Trained as an industrial engineer, Machado has emerged as a prominent political opponent of Nicolas Maduro's authoritarian regime in Venezuela.

In 2024, she was barred by Venezuela's courts from running for president, preventing her from challenging President Maduro, who has maintained power since 2013.

Following the presidential election, Machado announced she had gone into hiding, citing serious concerns for her personal safety.

It remains uncertain whether she will be able to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony scheduled for December 10 in Oslo.

Should she be unable to attend, Machado would join other Peace Prize laureates who were prevented from accepting their awards in person throughout the prize's 124-year history, including Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov (1975), Poland's Lech Walesa (1983), and Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi (1991).

White House Responds to Machado's Win

The White House reacted strongly to Machado's Nobel Peace Prize win on Friday – an award that US President Donald Trump had publicly expressed interest in receiving.

The lead-up to this year's announcement was marked by Trump's repeated statements claiming he deserved the prestigious award.

In a public statement, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung commented, "President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives... The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace."

The US president has not yet personally commented on missing out on the award.