Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in promoting democracy and fighting dictatorship in her country. The former opposition presidential candidate was lauded for being a ‘key, unifying figure’ against the ‘brutal’ Venezuelan state.
Leading up to the big announcement, there had been speculation of the prize going to Donald Trump, fuelled in part by the US President himself, amplified by this week’s approval of his plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
However, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said that Machado was being lauded for being a “key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided – an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government.”
“In the past year, Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,” he added.
Machado is a key figure in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement. In recent years, she has emerged as a powerful symbol of civilian courage in Latin America.
For decades, Machado has defied the repressive regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. She has faced threats, arrests, and political persecution.
Machado was set to run against Maduro in the last elections, but the government disqualified her.
Edmundo Gonzalez, who had never run for office before, took her place. The lead-up to the election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations. The crackdown on dissent only increased after the country’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary.
The election results sparked protests across the country, to which the government responded with force, and ended with more than 20 people dead. They also prompted an end to diplomatic relations between Venezuela and various foreign countries, including Argentina.
Machado went into hiding and has not been seen in public since January. A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez, who moved to Spain and was granted asylum
Ever since coming back to the office in January, Trump has been lobbying to get the Nobel Peace Prize, repeatedly claiming that he stopped eight wars. His candidature got a boost, at least in the eyes of his supporters, after he announced the peace deal between Israel and Hamas, thus likely ending the two-year-long Gaza conflict. He has also claimed credit for stopping the conflict between India and Pakistan that erupted back in May, which New Delhi has repeatedly denied.
Why was Donald Trump not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2025?
Donald Trump did not win the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize mainly because all the nominations made in his name came after the cutoff date. The nominations for consideration for this year’s award were to be made before February 1.
When asked about the snub to Trump despite his claims and support from some countries, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, said that the decision is based “only on the work and will of Alfred Nobel”.
“In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, I think this committee has seen any type of campaigns, media attention. We receive thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what for them leads to peace. This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So, we base our decision only on the work and will of Alfred Nobel,” Frydnes said in a press conference after the announcement
Nobel veterans say the committee prioritises sustained, multilateral efforts over quick diplomatic wins. Theo Zenou, a historian and research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, said that Trump’s efforts have not yet been proven to be long-lasting.
“There’s a huge difference between getting fighting to stop in the short term and resolving the root causes of the conflict,” Zenou told Reuters.
Zenou also highlighted Trump’s dismissive stance on climate change as out of step with what many, including the Nobel committee, see as the planet’s greatest long-term peace challenge.
Also, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Pakistan’s government made nominations supporting Trump for the 2025 award after the February 1 deadline.
