María Corina Machado, belonging to the opposition party in Venezuela, has been honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025.
Venezuela’s opposition leader has received the prestigious award for her unrelenting efforts in promoting and safeguarding democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.
“She is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her unyielding struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy, “ announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee while awarding the accolade.
"When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist," the Committee said in its citation.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, made the announcement at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.
In last year’s Venezuela’s presidential election, María Corina Machado was barred from taking part in elections. Later, the world dismissed the elections as neither free nor fair.
This year’s announcement comes as a huge surprise for the US President who for months has been advocating himself as the deserving candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Last year’s Nobel Peace Award was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, , the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations, “ for its contributions to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.”