Who is Maria Corina Machado? Venezuelan opposition leader wins Nobel Peace Prize 2025 as Trump misses out
Maria Corina Machado will receive the Nobel Peace Prize 2025 for her advocacy of democracy in Venezuela. The Norwegian Nobel Committee honours her for promoting democratic rights and leading the opposition against authoritarianism in her country.
Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize 2025 for her relentless advocacy for democracy in Venezuela, beating US President Donald Trump's chances of securing the award. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday that it will honour 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”.
Who is Maria Corina Machado?
Born in 1967, Maria Corina Machado has been at the forefront of the fight for democracy amid growing authoritarianism in Venezuela. She is now the leader of the opposition in the country.
Machado studied engineering and finance and briefly worked in business. In 1992, she founded the Atenea Foundation, which aims to support street children in Caracas.
Ten years later, she became one of the founders of Súmate, an organisation that promotes free and fair elections and has carried out training and election observation.
In 2010, she was elected to the National Assembly, securing a record number of votes. However, the regime removed her from office in 2014. Machado heads the Vente Venezuela opposition party and played a key role in founding the Soy Venezuela alliance in 2017, which brings together pro-democracy groups across the country's political spectrum.
In 2023, she announced her run for president in the 2024 election. When she was barred from competing, she backed the opposition’s alternative candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
According to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Machado is primarily being recognised for her contributions to promoting democracy in Venezuela, while the committee notes that global democracy is also experiencing decline.
Recently, she also featured in the TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2025 list. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated her on the list, saying, “Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan Iron Lady, is the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism. Undeterred by formidable challenges, Maria Corina has never backed down from her mission of fighting for a free, fair, and democratic Venezuela.”