Venezuelan Opposition leader María Corina Machado awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelan Opposition leader María Corina Machado was on Friday awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for promoting democratic rights and her struggle in achieving a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that Machado is “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times”.
“[Machado] meets all three criteria stated in Alfred Nobel’s will for the selection of a peace prize laureate,” the committee said. “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.”
Machado has been forced into hiding since last year.
“Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people,” the committee said.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee described the 58-year-old as a “key, unifying figure” in Venezuela’s political Opposition that was once divided, but which has found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government.
“This is precisely what lies at the heart of democracy: our shared willingness to defend the principles of popular rule, even though we disagree,” the committee added.
Machado was the Opposition’s joint presidential candidate in the 2024 election before her candidacy was blocked by the...
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