Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday.
The decision ended speculation surrounding other high-profile contenders, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, whose long-standing pursuit of the honor had drawn international attention. Despite claiming credit for several diplomatic initiatives, analysts noted that Trump’s chances were slim.
Announcing the award in Oslo, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Nobel Committee, praised Machado as “a key unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided — an opposition that found common ground in its demand for free elections and representative government.”
Frydnes commended her courage in remaining in Venezuela despite threats to her life. “In the past year, Miss Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her, she has chosen to stay in the country — a decision that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,” he said.
Machado, a former presidential candidate, has faced relentless persecution under President Nicolás Maduro’s administration, which has routinely targeted opposition leaders and activists. She was expected to contest last year’s presidential election but was disqualified by the government. Her replacement, Edmundo González, a political newcomer, ran in her stead.
The run-up to the election was marked by widespread repression, including the disqualification of candidates, arbitrary arrests, and serious human rights abuses. Following the vote, the National Electoral Council, dominated by Maduro loyalists, declared him the victor despite mounting evidence of electoral fraud.
The disputed results triggered nationwide protests that were met with a violent crackdown, leaving more than 20 people dead. The political fallout also led several countries — including Argentina — to sever diplomatic relations with Caracas.
Machado went into hiding soon after the election and has not appeared publicly since January. Meanwhile, Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant for González, who later fled to Spain, where he was granted asylum.
Experts note that the Nobel Committee traditionally honors figures and institutions that promote long-term peace, international cooperation, and the defense of human rights. This year, potential contenders included Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms— a community-led network supporting civilians amid the country’s civil war — as well as the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a U.S.-based nonprofit advocating for press freedom worldwide.
Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize went to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots organization of Japanese atomic bomb survivors that has campaigned tirelessly for nuclear disarmament and maintained a global taboo on the use of nuclear weapons.
The Peace Prize remains the only Nobel award presented in Oslo, Norway while the other prizes — in medicine, physics, chemistry, and literature — are conferred in Stockholm, Sweden Those awards have already been announced earlier this week, and the Economics Prizewill be revealed on Monday.
