The winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize has finally been decided. And, as no surprise to anyone, it is not Donald Trump, the current US President.
The real winner is Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader of Venezuela. Trump has been the topic of many headlines for months now, for his claims that he should be awarded the prize because of all the ‘wars’ he has stopped around the world.
Exaggerated and even false as these claims might be, that didn’t stop Trump from making a play at the coveted prize.
However, the Committee instead opted to recognize Machado, citing her tireless work defending democracy and human rights under a repressive regime. But who is Machado, and what work has she done that warrants this prize to be awarded to her?
Who Is Maria Corina Machado?
On October 10, 2025, the Nobel committee announced that the Peace Prize for the year 2025 was awarded to Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader of Venezuela, “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.”
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, explaining why Machado was given the prize, said, “She is an extraordinary example of civilian courage.”
As per the official statement, “Maria Corina Machado meets all three criteria stated in Alfred Nobel’s will for the selection of a Peace Prize laureate. She has 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.”
María Corina Machado was born on October 7, 1967, in Caracas and, for decades now, has been a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition against authoritarian governance.
Her political journey began in 2002 when she co-founded Súmate, a civic group aimed at election monitoring and promoting democratic participation. She then served as a member of the National Assembly from 2011 to 2014. Post this, she founded the political party Vente Venezuela in 2013.
Standing as a key figure in the country’s pro-democracy movement, Machado has stood against the oppressive regime of the current president, Nicolás Maduro.
She has withstood threats, arrests, and political persecution, while still fighting for free elections, electoral fraud, and the right for the citizens to resist the authority in a peaceful manner.
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In 2024, she was barred from running in the presidential elections by President Nicolás Maduro. The elections were also actively called out for not really being free or fair.
Machado, however, did not let it set her back, supporting the opposition’s candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, and mobilising election monitoring across the country.
Where many leaders claim peace credentials from a distance, Machado has put her freedom, security, and life on the line. She has lived in hiding, faced arrests, and endured constant threats, yet remained in Venezuela to lead from within.
The Nobel Committee also credited her with unifying a once-fractured opposition, mobilizing thousands of volunteers, and inspiring millions of Venezuelans.
Machado’s work, which is rooted in long-term civic organizing, training thousands of volunteers, engaging with communities in crisis, and insisting on transparency in institutions, is what brought her under the radar of the Nobel committee.
Her argument that peace can only be established by renewing citizens’ rights, reopening voices, and ensuring accountable governance is echoed by the Nobel Committee, which states, “the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace.”
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Sources: The Hindu, Mint, BBC
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This post is tagged under: Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Peace Prize 2025, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nobel Peace Prize 2025 winner, Nobel Peace Prize Maria Corina Machado, Maria Corina Machado nobel prize, Maria Corina Machado Venezuela, Venezuela, Venezuela opposition leader, trump, trump nobel peace prize
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