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Honoured for her Courageous Fight for Democracy Amid Rising Authoritarianism
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader who has led an unwavering struggle for democracy in the face of expanding authoritarian rule in her country.
An engineer and finance graduate, Ms. Machado began her career in business before turning to social and political activism. In 1992, she founded the Atenea Foundation, an organisation dedicated to supporting street children in Caracas.
A decade later, she co-founded Súmate, a civil society group that champions free and fair elections through voter education, training, and election monitoring. Her advocacy propelled her into politics, and in 2010 she was elected to the National Assembly with a record number of votes — before being expelled by the regime in 2014.
As the leader of the Vente Venezuela party, Machado has become a symbol of democratic resistance. In 2017, she helped establish Soy Venezuela, a coalition uniting pro-democracy forces across political lines.
In 2023, Machado announced her bid for the 2024 presidential election but was barred from running. She then threw her support behind opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, whose campaign galvanized citizens and documented evidence suggesting an opposition victory — despite the regime’s claims of success and subsequent power consolidation.
The Nobel Committee recognised Ms. Machado “first and foremost for her tireless efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela.” The award also serves as a reminder that democracy — the right to speak freely, vote, and be represented — remains the cornerstone of peace within and among nations.
