The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 was awarded to Maria Corina 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”. She has been involved in the struggle for democratic rights in Venezuela for many years.

Venezuela and the 2024 presidential election

Nicolás Maduro has been the president of Venezuela since 2013. His government has been accused of electoral fraud and of persecuting opponents by using violence and threats. A large portion of the population lives in poverty, and nearly eight million people have left the country.

Before the 2024 presidential election, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans were trained as election observers to ensure that the election was fair. They monitored and watched over polling stations, despite the risk of being arrested and tortured. The documentation they collected showed that they clearly won. In spite of this, Maduro declared himself the winner.

A strong voice for democracy in Venezuela

Maria Corina Machado has been engaged in the struggle for democracy in Venezuela for a long time. In the early 2000s, she co-founded the organisation Súmate, which seeks to strengthen Venezuela’s democracy by, for instance, monitoring elections.

She also started to engage in politics and was elected to the Venezuelan National Assembly in 2010. A few years later, she was removed from her position by the regime. However, Maria Corina Machado refused to be silenced. Instead, she has become a leader of the opposition, meaning the parties opposed to the president.

In the 2024 presidential election, Maria Corina Machado was appointed the candidate of the opposition, but the regime prevented her from running. She then decided to back another candidate.

Maria Corina Machado is currently living in hiding due to the threats she is facing.

Democracy is retreating across the world

Democracy is not only retreating in Venezuela. This is occurring in many parts of the world. At the same time, the number of authoritarian regimes is increasing. This refers to countries where power is highly concentrated in the hands of the ruling individual or individuals, and where free media is silenced and critics are imprisoned.

In 2024, more elections were held across the world than ever before, but fewer and fewer were free and fair.

The link between democracy and peace

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. When announcing that the prize was awarded to Maria Corina Machado, they highlighted the strong link between democracy and peace. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist. They remind us that freedom should not be taken for granted but must always be defended, wrote the Norwegian Nobel Committee in its press release.

Recognising the struggle of the Venezuelan people

“I am very grateful on behalf of the Venezuelan people. We are not there yet. We’re working very hard to achieve it, but I’m sure that we will prevail. And this is certainly the biggest recognition to our people that certainly deserve it”, said Maria Corina Machado.

In this short video, you will learn a little bit more about the laureate’s work and why it confers the greatest benefit to humankind: