Medellín, Colombia – María Corina Machado, the figurehead of Venezuela’s opposition movement and thorn in the side of Nicolás Maduro’s regime, was officially awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo today despite being unable to attend the ceremony.
The Nobel Committee said Machado won the award for her “tireless work in promoting the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and for her struggle to achieve a peaceful and just transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
But despite being the protagonist of the ceremony, Machado was notably absent and her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, attended in her place. The 58-year-old opposition leader did manage to leave Venezuela, where she has been in hiding for 16 months, but could not arrive in Norway in time due to restrictions on her movement.
Announcing the Venezuelan politician’s win in Oslo, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Nobel Committee, said the award had gone “to a brave and committed champion of peace, to a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness”.
Although she was unable to physically attend the ceremony, Machado’s daughter read her mother’s acceptance speech, telling the audience, “Venezuela will breathe again”.
The speech described the prize as a tribute to the suffering of the Venezuelan people and dedicated it to those who have been subjected to repression under Chavismo, the ideology which has dominated Venezuelan politics since President Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999.
“The real heroes of this journey are our political prisoners, the persecuted, their families, and all who defend human rights,” read the speech.
Machado also recounted her personal struggle against Chavismo in the address, writing “I have come here to tell you a story: the story of a people and their long march toward freedom. This march brings me here today as one voice among millions of Venezuelans who rose, once again, to reclaim the destiny that was always theirs.”
Who is ‘La Mujer de Hierro’?
Machado – known as the “Iron Lady” (Mujer de Hierro) in Venezuela – is only the 20th woman out of 143 laureates to win the Nobel Peace Prize since 1901. She said she was “in shock” after learning she had been awarded the prize in a video sent to the AFP news agency.
Machado is the leader of the Vente Venezuela opposition party, which campaigns for transparent democracy and liberal economic reforms, including the privatization of state-owned enterprises such as PDVSA, Venezuela’s oil company.
She has been described as a Christian Democrat with ties to global conservative movements, supporting figures like Donald Trump and Javier Milei while also promoting welfare programs for the poor – creating a complex platform of free-market capitalism mixed with social concern.
Machado is a divisive figure who has firmly embraced President Trump’s military buildup in the Caribbean and publicly expressed her support for using force to oust the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro. She has also repeated debunked claims that Mr. Maduro manipulated U.S. elections, fueling accusations that she is amplifying misinformation to gain favor with the Trump administration.
But many Venezuelans revere Machado for her long-standing opposition to Chavismo, which dates back to 2002, when she entered politics as the co-founder of the volunteer civil association called “Súmate.” Machado and Súmate led calls to impeach Chavéz from office over what they said were authoritarian policies. At the time, the government accused Machado of treason – some observers described the move as an attempted coup – and her family allegedly received death threats from Chavez supporters, forcing her to send her children abroad.
In 2023, she won the Venezuelan opposition’s presidential primary after taking a decisive lead, placing her in a prime position to challenge Maduro in the 2024 elections.
A year later, Venezuela’s Supreme Justice Tribunal upheld a ban that prevented Machado from holding office. Attorney General Tarek Saab had accused some members of Machado’s Vente Venezuela party of being among 11 people who he said attempted to rob a military weapons arsenal in 2023 before a planned assault on a pro-Maduro state governor.
The court also upheld claims that Machado had supported U.S. sanctions, had been involved in corruption, and had lost money for Venezuela’s foreign assets, including United States-based oil refiner Citgo and chemicals company Monomeros, which operates in Colombia.
Edmundo González Urrutia replaced her as presidential candidate for the opposition bloc. Machado, however, continued campaigning far and wide for her proxy.
For many Venezuelans abroad, Machado’s victory provides hope of change after decades of Chavismo.
“Today, we have the opportunity to tell the world: here we stand, with our democratic spirit, fulfilling every requirement placed before,” Juan Carlos Viloria, president of The Global Alliance for Human Rights and an advocate for the Venezuelan diaspora told Latin America Reports.
Viloria believes Machado can bring change to Venezuela and that Maduro’s days are numbered.
“We say Venezuela’s liberation is coming, and María Corina will return to Venezuela—not as she left, under extreme security conditions—but through the front door… as all Venezuelans should,” said Viloria.
Viloria also stressed the responsibility—and the power—of Venezuelans abroad to advocate for change.
Machado’s speech projected readiness for regime change, saying, “during these past sixteen months in hiding, we have built new networks of civic pressure and disciplined disobedience, preparing for Venezuela’s orderly transition to democracy.”
While Viloria admits “the transition will not be easy,” his hope reflects that of many Venezuelans who feel they are closer than ever to seeing change after years of despotism.
Featured image description: 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado’s daughter Ana received the peace prize on behalf of her mother.
Featured image credit: Nobel Prize
