CaliToday (10/10/2025): OSLO – Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her courageous and persistent efforts to advance democratic rights in the face of an authoritarian regime. The decision by the Norwegian Nobel Committee serves as a powerful global recognition of the pro-democracy movement in Venezuela and came despite repeated public claims by President Donald Trump that he was the rightful recipient.
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| Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures at a protest ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 9, 2025. |
Machado, a 58-year-old industrial engineer who is currently in hiding for her safety, has been a leading figure in the struggle against the government of President Nicolás Maduro. In 2024, she was barred by Venezuelan courts from running for president, a move widely seen as a bid to eliminate any significant challenge to Maduro, who has held power since 2013.
"When autocrats take power, it is crucial to recognize the brave defenders of freedom who rise up and resist," the Norwegian Nobel Committee stated in its announcement. "María Corina Machado has become a symbol of this indomitable will for liberty."
A Statement of Independence Amid U.S. Politics
The lead-up to this year's prize was unusually dominated by the vocal campaign of Donald Trump, who publicly and frequently asserted that his foreign policy achievements made him deserving of the honor. Trump has also been a fierce critic of Maduro, aligning his administration's policy with supporting the Venezuelan opposition.
However, analysts view the committee's choice as a deliberate assertion of its autonomy from political pressure.
"I think the most important thing is that the committee has once again demonstrated its independence, that it will not be swayed by public opinion or political leaders in awarding the prize," said Halvard Leira, a research director at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
Leira noted that while the choice sidesteps Trump, it honors a cause the United States has championed for years. "Trump will interpret this the way he wants, but this is a prize given to a cause that the United States has wholeheartedly supported," he explained. "The U.S. has always wanted to support Venezuela's democratic opposition. So, in that sense, it would be difficult for anyone to see this as an insult to Trump."
Timing and Deliberations
The committee had finalized its decision before Wednesday's announcement of a ceasefire and hostage-rescue agreement, which was the initial phase of a Trump-led initiative to end the war in Gaza. This timing indicates the recent development played no role in their deliberations.
Even before the announcement, Nobel experts considered Trump an unlikely victor. Many argued that his "America First" policies were often perceived as undermining the international order and cooperative institutions that the Nobel Committee traditionally values and seeks to protect.
The Nobel Peace Prize, which includes a monetary award of 11 million Swedish crowns (approximately $1.2 million), is scheduled to be presented in Oslo on December 10. The ceremony marks the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist who founded the prizes in his 1895 will.
