Venezuela's Maria Corina Machado wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelas María Corina Machado wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures at a protest ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 9, 2025. Photo: Reuters

White House Calls Award ‘Political’

OSLO,— Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her role in opposing authoritarian rule in Venezuela, the Nobel Committee announced.

Machado, 58, an industrial engineer, has spent recent months in hiding after being banned from running against President Nicolas Maduro in the 2024 election. Maduro, in power since 2013, began a third term in January following a disputed vote.

Speaking by phone with Kristian Berg Harpviken, the committee’s secretary, Machado appeared emotional. “Oh my God, I have no words,” she said in a recording released by the committee. “This is not mine alone. It belongs to an entire society that refuses to give up.”

The White House criticized the decision, arguing it was politically motivated. The comments came just days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced progress in his efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“President Trump will keep working to make peace, end wars, and save lives,” White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a post on X. “The Nobel Committee once again chose politics over peace.”

Maduro’s government remains under international pressure amid Venezuela’s severe economic collapse and political unrest. Washington continues to enforce sanctions and has increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.

“When authoritarians tighten their grip, recognizing those who stand up for freedom becomes vital,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its statement announcing the award.

It was not immediately known whether Machado could travel safely to Oslo for the December 10 ceremony. If she is unable to attend, she would join past laureates who were prevented from doing so, including Andrei Sakharov in 1975, Lech Walesa in 1983, and Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991.

Machado is the first Venezuelan to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the sixth laureate from Latin America. The United Nations human rights office welcomed the decision, describing it as “a recognition of Venezuelans’ aspirations for free and fair elections.”

Committee chair Joergen Watne Frydnes said the award aims to strengthen democratic efforts. “We hope it inspires renewed energy for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” he told reporters.

Human Rights Watch’s Americas Director Juanita Goebertus Estrada said the award could heighten global pressure on the Maduro government. Analysts said it also underscored the Nobel Committee’s independence.

“This shows the committee’s commitment to its own principles rather than political influence,” said Halvard Leira, research director at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

The United States has been a leading supporter of Venezuela’s opposition movement. In recent weeks, U.S. naval forces have intercepted several vessels suspected of carrying narcotics near Venezuelan waters.

President Trump has also warned that the U.S. may take action against drug cartels operating from the region.

A formal notice to Congress recently defined the conflict with cartels as a “non-international armed conflict,” providing legal grounds for continued U.S. strikes on vessels linked to trafficking operations.

Asked if Trump’s efforts in Gaza could make him a future Peace Prize contender, Frydnes said nominations would be considered according to the committee’s usual process. “It is not our task to speculate or guide political agendas,” he said.

The committee made its decision before Wednesday’s announcement of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, part of President Trump’s plan to end the conflict.

Analysts had predicted the Nobel Committee would likely avoid awarding him this year, given its preference for multilateral diplomacy.

The Peace Prize is the final Nobel announced this week, following those in medicine, physics, chemistry, and literature. Last year’s Peace Prize went to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization representing survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings.

Valued at 11 million Swedish crowns, about 1.2 million dollars, the award will be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

(With files from Reuters)