Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was reportedly awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a recognition that the Norwegian Nobel Committee described as honoring her “brave and committed” fight for democracy in a country long dominated by authoritarian rule.
The decision effectively ended speculation that President Donald Trump’s supporters had hoped might see him receive the prize for his recent push to broker peace in the Middle East.
Announcing the award in Oslo, Nobel Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes praised Machado as a “champion of peace” who “keeps the flame of democracy burning during a growing darkness.”
The committee cited her persistence in challenging Venezuela’s socialist regime, describing her as a figure who embodies personal sacrifice and moral clarity in a time of repression.
The recognition for Machado comes as Venezuela remains mired in economic hardship and political turmoil under Nicolás Maduro, who has ruled since 2013.
Once a thriving democracy, the country has endured hyperinflation, widespread poverty, and the exodus of millions fleeing political persecution.
Machado, a former member of parliament, has been disqualified from office, threatened, and forced into hiding for her opposition to the regime.
Despite this, she continues to lead what remains of Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement, advocating for free elections and the restoration of basic civil rights.
Her selection also came as a disappointment to Trump’s supporters, who had mounted a public campaign for the president to receive the prize for his role in helping negotiate the first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Trump had unveiled a 20-point “Gaza peace plan” earlier this year, and Israeli hostages’ families were among those who urged the Nobel Committee to recognize him, saying he had “brought us light through our darkest times.”
For weeks, pro-Trump voices, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, conservative commentators, and several Republican members of Congress, argued that the ceasefire agreement validated Trump’s foreign policy instincts and peacekeeping ambitions.
But under Nobel rules, nominations closed in January—well before the deal was reached—rendering those appeals effectively moot.
Trump’s interest in the Nobel Peace Prize has never been subtle. He has repeatedly claimed that his administration “ended seven wars” and advanced peace across multiple regions, from the Abraham Accords to negotiations on the Korean Peninsula.
While his supporters see him as a bold negotiator willing to challenge global orthodoxy, critics of the Nobel process have long suggested that the committee’s decisions often reflect European political sensibilities rather than results achieved on the ground.
In awarding the prize to Machado, the committee appeared to favor symbolism over geopolitics.
The Venezuelan opposition figure, who has been barred from running for president and faces constant harassment from the Maduro regime, represents a powerful narrative of personal courage against tyranny.
For many, her selection is a reminder that the Nobel Peace Prize still prizes ideals of resistance and moral conviction above diplomacy or political influence. For Trump’s allies, however, it underscored the belief that global institutions remain reluctant to credit his efforts to secure peace through strength.
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