Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who is living in exile after trying to run against President Nicolas Maduro, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
58-year-old Machado was known to have maintained “the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness” and “ever-expanding authoritarianism in Venezuela.”
Although there is speculation that President Donald Trump was the likely candidate to win the prize because of his contribution in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, among others, Machado was a late favorite in online gambling sites hours before the announcement was made.
Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, reported a news conference in Oslo that Machado, the leader of the Vente Venezuela opposition party, is now in exile and is under “serious threats against her life,” having been blocked from running as president and driven out of office.
She was constantly saying, “Oh, my God! I have no words,” when she received the news by telephone, under the chairmanship of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Kristian Berg Harpviken, who, in a video call, became clearly emotional as he talked.
Finding out about her accolade only minutes before its release, she said, “I hope you understand that this is a movement; this is the achievement of a whole society. I’m just one person. I certainly do not deserve this. I’m honored, humbled, and very grateful and behalf of the Venezuelan people. We’re not there yet. We are working very hard to achieve it, and I’m certain we will prevail.”
As the nicknames “the Lady of Steel” and “the Iron Lady,” she is one of the most prominent targets of the growing crackdown of Maduro on the opposition figures, journalists, and civil society in his increasingly oppressive regime.
She would have been the candidate who would be the primary opposition candidate who would challenge the president in the 2024 election. She was disqualified due to the allegations that are common worldwide by the United States, the European Union, and others, labelling them as politically instigated.
According to a report from Human Rights Watch, instead of the candidate she backed, Edmundo González was widely known in the international arena as the victor of the vote. Nevertheless, Maduro was declared the winner, and in response to protests, “widespread human rights violations against protesters, bystanders, opposition leaders, and critics.”
González posted a video of himself calling and congratulating Machado, meanwhile stating that “very well-deserved recognition for the long fight of a woman and of a whole people for our freedom and democracy.”
Frydnes reported “The efforts of the collective opposition, both before and during the election, were innovative and brave, peaceful and democratic.”
He further added, “When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist. Democracy depends on people who refuse to stay silent, who dare to step forward despite grave risk, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted.”
“With the current developments in the USA under the Trump administration, even that country’s democracy seems to be in jeopardy,” said the V-Dem Institute, a world-respected arbiter of these freedoms, with Trump’s threats “to prosecute his rivals, punish critical media, and deploy the army to repress protests.”
In the history of the 124-year Peace Prize, he said, “This committee has seen every type of campaign and media attention, and we receive thousands and thousands of letters every year.”
White House’s Response to Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado
When the Norwegian Nobel Committee declared on Friday that it will give the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado, instead of Donald Trump, the White House made it clear that “the US President will continue to make peace deals, end wars, and save lives.”
White House Director of Communications wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) that “President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will.”
Nevertheless, the white house subtly criticized the Nobel committee by stating that they preferred politics to peace.
White House statement reported, “Once again, the Nobel Committee has proved they place politics over peace.”
According to them, Trump has aggressively campaigned to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and in the current week, he has declared a ceasefire and hostage agreement to stop the war in Gaza.
The Republican president has not made any statement regarding the decision made by Nobel yet, but on Friday morning posted three videos on his Truth Social account with supporters celebrating the Gaza deal.
