The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on Friday to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Machado won the prize for her work towards promoting the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela and for her fight to achieve a just transition from dictatorship to democracy in the country.
Who is Maria Corina Machado?
Maria Machado is a renowned Venezuelan politician and activist who has been recognised for her struggle to restore democracy and human rights in Venezuela. Often nicknamed “Venezuela’s Iron Lady”, coined from the UK’s Margaret Thatcher, she has fought against the authoritarian regimes of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro. Machado has spent over two decades as a unifying voice for peaceful, democratic change.
She began her career as an industrial engineer by training, she initially entered the public sphere as a civic leader, co-founding the organisation of Sumate in 2002 to promote electoral transparency and monitor elections. She took on a more prominent role when she moved from civil society to direct politics after being elected to the National Assembly in 2010 with a record number of votes. In the legislature, she became known for her relentless, data-driven critiques of the government’s corruption policies.
Fighting in the face of adversity
Machado’s commitment to democratic reform came at a great personal cost, marked by persistent political persecution and repression from the Maduro regime. In 2014, she was arbitrarily expelled from her seat in the National Assembly after denouncing human rights violations at the Organisation of Americans States (OAS). The government then leveled charges of treason, conspiracy and terrorism against her, repeatedly imposed travel bans and political disqualification.
Despite these severe threats, Machado co-founded the liberal political party Vente Venezuela and went on to win the 2023 opposition presidential primary with overwhelming support. When the regime blocked her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, she threw her support behind opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, galvanizing a massive civilian movement that mobilised election observers and documented widespread electoral fraud. In the face of increasing threats, Machado has been forced into hiding, but has remained in Venezuela, using social media to inspire millions of people and cementing her status as one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America.
Winning the Nobel Peace Prize
The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award Machado the Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy”
Machado received the award recently as she “has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people”.
Image: Maria Corina Machado – CSIS | Center for Strategic & International Studies
The committee praised her as she “brought her country’s opposition together. She has never wavered in resisting the militarisation of Venezuelan society. She has been steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy”.
She was also commended for embodying “the hope of a different future, one where the fundamental rights of citizens are protected, and their voices heard”.
Machado’s response
In a phone call with the secretary of the award body, Kristian Berg Harpviken she said “Oh my god…I have no words”.
“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.
In an X post, she later said, “I dedicate the prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
Who else was in the running?
There was great speculation that President Trump could have won the prize due to his peace efforts to end conflicts around the world from India and Pakistan to the DRC and Rwanda, most recently his plan to end the Israel-Palestine conflict.
On the eve of the award announcement, photos of the “Peace President” were plastered over X by the White House and other government official accounts.
The White House responded to the Nobel committee, by arguing it was playing politics.
“The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote on social media.
As early as February 4th, President Trump said “They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize” in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “It’s too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me”.
The deadline for nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize was January the 31st, a short period after President Trump was inaugurated as President for the second time.
Whilst he was nominated by the leaders of Cambodia and Pakistan for his support in resolving these conflicts it was after the deadline, so heads may turn to next year’s prize if he maintains global efforts to broker peace.
Other prominent nominees include the Sudan Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim due to his mediation efforts brokering a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand as well as the Myanmar earthquake ceasefire.
Image: Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim – Simon Dawson / Number 10 Downing Street
Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) due to their humanitarian efforts during the country’s severe civil conflict. A network of decentralised, volunteer-led groups, the ERRs provide essential, life-saving aid; including food, water, medical care, and evacuation assistance in areas largely abandoned by state institutions and difficult for international organisations to reach.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was nominated for the 2025 Peace Prize in recognition of his role as a prominent diplomat and champion of dialogue in an increasingly fractured world. His nomination highlighted a lifelong commitment to fostering interfaith and civilisational understanding, most notably through his active mediation in complex geopolitical issues. As the Chairman of ASEAN, Anwar’s key diplomatic achievement was successfully brokering a cease-fire between Cambodia and Thailand in mid-2025, demonstrating effective, high-level negotiation and solidifying Malaysia’s status as a crucial bridge nation in Southeast Asian stability.
Featured Image via CSIS | Center for Strategic & International Studies
