The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Friday, recognising her relentless advocacy for democratic rights amid her country's deepening authoritarian crisis. The committee praised 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." As the first Venezuelan to receive the honour and the sixth laureate from Latin America, Machado's selection underscores the global retreat of democratic norms, with the committee noting her role in uniting opposition forces against the militarisation of society.

In an emotional video call shared by the Nobel Foundation on X, Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Nobel Institute and secretary of the committee, informed Machado of the award in the early hours of Friday, his voice cracking with emotion as he woke her. Machado, speaking from hiding where she has evaded arrest threats by President Nicolás Maduro's regime, expressed profound humility. "We're not there yet. We're working very hard to achieve it, but I'm sure that we will prevail," she told Harpviken, referring to the opposition's push for a democratic transition. She added, "This is certainly the biggest recognition for our people that certainly deserve it. I am just, you know, one person. I certainly do not deserve this." The call highlighted the personal risks Machado faces, including a brief detention in January 2025 after emerging from hiding for a rally, from which she was released amid international outcry.

Machado's journey to this accolade began far from politics. Born in 1967, the industrial engineer co-founded the vote-monitoring group Súmate in the early 2000s to safeguard electoral integrity during Hugo Chávez's presidency. Elected to Venezuela's National Assembly in 2010 with a record vote tally, she was ousted in 2014 on politically motivated charges. She later founded the Vente Venezuela party and co-led the Soy Venezuela alliance, bridging divides among pro-democracy factions. Barred from the 2024 presidential race despite leading polls by wide margins, Machado endorsed Edmundo González Urrutia as her proxy, only for Maduro to claim victory in an election widely condemned as fraudulent by the U.S., European Union, and others. Her nonviolent resistance earned prior accolades, including the 2024 Sakharov and Václav Havel human rights prizes.

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The award arrives as Venezuela grapples with economic collapse, mass migration—over 7.7 million have fled since 2014—and escalating repression following the disputed July 2024 vote. Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes described Machado as "a brave and committed champion of peace" who "keeps the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness." While her win bolsters international pressure on Maduro, security concerns may prevent her attendance at the December ceremony in Oslo, joining past laureates like Andrei Sakharov and Aung San Suu Kyi, who were similarly barred. Reactions poured in swiftly: U.S. politicians like Marco Rubio hailed it as overdue recognition, while X users celebrated her as a symbol of civilian courage, with one post likening her resolve to Mahatma Gandhi's. As global democracy erodes, Machado's prize reaffirms the Nobel's emphasis on nonviolent tools for peace, offering hope to Venezuelans enduring dictatorship's toll.

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