A light of hope for democracy
On October 10, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
“She is receiving the 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,” said the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Jørgen Watne Frydnes during the announcement of the prize.
Although Machado has fought against the regimes of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro since the beginning of her political career, her actions in 2024 had a major impact on the Venezuelan people and even reached foreign ears. Her strategies for exposing electoral fraud, along with her hopeful and peaceful rhetoric, made her the winner of the prize.
In 2023, Machado became the leader of the opposition party after winning the primary elections. However, The Venezuelan Supreme Court, under Maduro’s control, disqualified her from holding political office, preventing her from participating in the election of July 28, 2024 as Maduro’s opponent.
Consequently, Machado backed Edmundo González Urrutia, the representative of a different party, in the election. During the campaign, Machado remained a leader, traveling the country to promote change and awaken hope in Venezuelans for a free country.
On election day, the National Electoral Council announced the re-election of Maduro as president. Anticipating the outcome, the opposition had trained and positioned witnesses during the elections to monitor the voting and document the final tallies. Days later, the records were published online as evidence of electoral fraud by the regime.
For the first time in many years, the opposition had found a way to counteract the immense power of the dictatorship. Machado and the opposition’s strategy awakened a sense of faith in the Venezuelan people.
The violence of the authoritarian Venezuelan state toward its people and the opposition party had suppressed any attempt at rebellion, as any political activity carried a dangerous risk. But Machado courageously and peacefully confronted the oppression of the government and the fear of the people.
“Machado stood up for free and fair elections more than 20 years ago. As she said, it was a choice of ballots over bullets,” said Frydnes. “The efforts of the collective opposition, both before and during the election, were innovative and brave, peaceful and democratic.”
In addition to inspiring faith in its people, the opposition party received international support once the results of the election were confirmed as legitimate. And although the regime continues to rule the country today, its power has been gradually weakened since the blow it suffered on July 28 of last year.
Daniel Di Martino, a Venezuelan immigrant and Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, has been invited by UDallas Young Americans for Freedom to speak on campus in November. In an interview about the announcement, he said, “I think the award has helped us expose people who support the regime even more, for the liars and bad people they are.”
Di Martino says in the interview that both the president of Mexico and the prime minister of Spain refused to give their opinion on the award, or even to congratulate Machado. “That really should make you think how much power Maduro has. He must have an immense amount of power that we can’t even comprehend that they aren’t even free to say congratulations… It must be a big deal for Maduro,” said Di Martino.
Even just by receiving an award, Machado continues to strike at the immense authoritarian and corrupt power of the regime.
Despite being unable to attend the ceremony for security reasons as she remains in hiding since the conclusion of the riots that followed last year’s elections Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize.
In reaction to the committee’s announcement, Machado said: “The greatest tribute to Alfred Nobel’s legacy will be to secure the transition to Democracy, conquer our Freedom, and thus achieve Peace. Venezuela will be free!”
Many Venezuelans, although proud of Machado’s victory, rest their hopes on US intervention to finally bring freedom to their country. However, the reality today does not suggest that freedom is imminent.
When asked if he had seen Venezuelans react with hope or with skepticism , Di Martino said, “A lot of people think, ‘Oh, eventually it becomes free!’ Well, eventually we are all dead. The other people [will be free], it won’t be us. So that is my concern, that is too long for people to bear it.”
There is still a desperate fear among Venezuelans, and even among democratic governments around the world, that the authoritarian regime will never be overthrown and that freedom will never return to Venezuela.
While not directly improving or accelerating the situation in Venezuela, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize rekindles the faith of an oppressed country and inspires its citizens to continue fighting for freedom and democracy.