Meet Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan leader who won Nobel Peace Prize 2025

Maria Corina Machado was a member of the Venezuelan National Assembly, elected with the highest number of votes of all the candidates for that election.

Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader and activist, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize "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".

Maria Corina Machado is an industrial engineer, a politician in Venezuela and the mother of three children. (X/@NobelPrize)

Machado is known for her unique voice in Venezuela's traditionally male-dominated political circuit, and according to BBC, is one of the most 100 influential and inspiring leaders in the world. Follow Nobel Peace Prize live updates

Who is Maria Corina Machado

Born on October 7, 1967, Maria Corina Machado is a leader of the Vente Venezuela party. She is an industrial engineer and the current leader of the opposition in Venezuela.

According to Forbes, the Venezuelan leader and activist prefers to be called Maria Corina. In 1992, she established the Atenea Foundation, which works towards the benefit of street children in Caracas. Before stepping into the political landscape, Maria was one of the founders of Sumate, a civil society NGO.

Maria Corina was also a presidential pre-candidate in 2012, but she lost the race to her fellow primary candidate Henrique Capriles. In the anti-government protests against Nicolás Maduro, Maria was one of the prominent faces.

In 2023, Maria Corina was again a pre-candidate for Vente Venezuela in the primary elections of the Unitary Platform. However, the Comptroller General of Venezuela disqualified her for 15 years. This was an extension of a previously imposed ban because she supported the US sanctions on the Maduro government and backed former opposition leader Juan Guaido, a Reuters report had said.

Following the 2024 presidential election, Maria Corina published a letter in the Wall Street Journal, which she said she was writing from "hiding, fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen from the dictatorship led by Nicolás Maduro.

Maria had stated that Maduro did not win the Venezuelan presidential election, claiming that he lost to her party colleague Edmundo González, 67 per cent to 30 per cent.

In January 2025, Maria Corina Machado was briefly detained during an anti-government protest. But she was soon released. These demonstrations were her first public appearance since going into hiding in August 2024.

What Nobel committee said about Maria

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that Maria Corina Machado "keeps the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness".

The committee said that first and foremost, Maria Corina Machado was receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her "efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela".

"But democracy is also in retreat internationally. Democracy – understood as the right to freely express one’s opinion, to cast one’s vote and to be represented in elective government – is the foundation of peace both within countries and between countries," it added.

They said that she is one of the most extraordinary examples of "civilian courage" in Latin America in recent times.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee noted that in its long history, it has honoured brave women and men who have taken a stance against repression and carried the hope of freedom everywhere.

"In the past year, Ms 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 of people," the committee said of Maria Corina's bravery.

They said that Maria Corina Machado met all three criteria stated in the will of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize.

"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," the committee said.

Lastly, it said, Maria Corina Machado has shown that the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace. She embodies the hope of a different future, one where citizens have protected fundamental rights and their voices are heard, where people will finally be able to live freely and in peace.