Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado

Machado dedicated her award, in part, to U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he and the American people are ‘principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy.’

Former Congresswoman and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado holds up the Venezuelan flag outside of the Attorney General Office in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 3, 2014. Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo

Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan politician and former opposition presidential candidate, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 10 “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement that Machado was “a brave and committed champion of peace” and a woman who “keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”

Ahead of last year’s Venezuelan presidential election, the socialist regime of President Nicolas Maduro allegedly targeted real or perceived political opponents.

In the lead-up to the election, “authorities intensified repression, targeting human rights defenders and opposition members with arrests and disqualifications, and tightening restrictions on civic space,” according to Human Rights Watch.

Machado was an opposition presidential candidate but was disqualified from running against Maduro in the 2024 election. She went into hiding and has not been seen in public since January.

“Machado has been a key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided – an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government,” the committee said.

“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.”

Edmundo González took her place in the election and was deemed by the United States and Spain to be the winner.

A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez, who is now living in exile in Spain, where he has been granted asylum.

Many Latin American and Western governments do not recognize the legitimacy of the socialist regime or the outcome of its elections.

Machado said that recognizing the struggles of Venezuelans reinforces their determination to achieve freedom.

“We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” she said in an Oct. 10 post on X.

“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”

Peace Prize Nomination Process

There were 338 candidates nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize—which is awarded in Oslo, Norway—of which 244 were individuals and 94 were organizations, according to the Nobel Foundation.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee does not confirm the names of those who are nominated, either publicly or privately, to the nominees themselves, with each year’s list only being released 50 years after the prize is awarded.

The committee says that in cases where candidates’ names have appeared in the media, this was either due to speculation or individuals reporting that they have nominated someone.

The Peace Prize is one of six Nobel Prize awards, the others being for physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and economic sciences. Except for the Peace Prize, all other prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden.

The annual prize saw nominations open in mid-October 2024, with the deadline of midnight on Jan. 31, 2025. The short list was then prepared between February and March, with an adviser review taking place between March and August.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was then chosen and announced on Oct. 10. This year’s laureate will receive her award on Dec. 10 in Oslo, which consists of a medal, diploma, and a document confirming the cash prize amount.

Trump Nominations

In recent months, some countries said they planned to nominate U.S. President Donald Trump for the Peace Prize for his efforts to settle global conflicts.

In June, Pakistan nominated Trump for his role in helping to avert a major confrontation between India and Pakistan in June.

Cambodia said in early August that it would nominate the president after his intervention to halt a conflict with Thailand, a move that was backed by 70,000 Cambodian Buddhist monks.

In July, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed to Trump that he had nominated the U.S. president for the prize for his efforts to secure a cease-fire to end the war with the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip, and for his efforts to achieve peace with Iran.

Earlier this week, families of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas called for Trump to receive the award, after Israel and Hamas agreed to the president’s 20-point plan to end the war.

These nominations came months after the January deadline, meaning potential recognition of Trump’s accomplishments to secure international peace may not be considered by the Norwegian committee until 2026.

Four presidents and one vice president have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

President Theodore Roosevelt was the first, in 1906, followed by President Woodrow Wilson (1919), President Jimmy Carter (2002), Vice President Al Gore (2007), and President Barack Obama (2009).

Carter was the only president to receive his award when he was no longer in the White House, and Gore received his award six years after his time in office.

Obama was awarded his prize less than eight months after he assumed the presidency.

Jackson Richman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.