No prize for King Donald despite his murder of Venezuelans at sea and plans to deport 300,000 Venezuelans who sought asylum in the US
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 goes to a brave and committed champion of peace – to a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.
The
Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize
for 2025 to Maria Corina Machado.
She is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
As the leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela, Maria
Corina Machado is one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in
Latin America in recent times.
Ms 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. This is
precisely what lies at the heart of democracy: our shared willingness to defend
the principles of popular rule, even though we disagree. At a time when
democracy is under threat, it is more important than ever to defend this common
ground.
Venezuela has evolved from a relatively democratic and
prosperous country to a brutal, authoritarian state that is now suffering a
humanitarian and economic crisis. Most Venezuelans live in deep poverty, even
as the few at the top enrich themselves. The violent machinery of the state is
directed against the country’s own citizens. Nearly 8 million people have left
the country. The opposition has been systematically suppressed by means of
election rigging, legal prosecution and imprisonment.
Venezuela’s authoritarian regime makes political work extremely difficult. As a founder of Súmate, an organization devoted to democratic development, Ms Machado stood up for free and fair elections more than 20 years ago. As she said: “It was a choice of ballots over bullets.” In political office and in her service to organizations since then, Ms Machado has spoken out for judicial independence, human rights and popular representation. She has spent years working for the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
Ahead of the election of 2024, Ms Machado was the
opposition’s presidential candidate, but the regime blocked her candidacy. She
then backed the representative of a different party, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia,
in the election. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers mobilized across political
divides. They were trained as election observers to ensure a transparent and
fair election. Despite the risk of harassment, arrest and torture, citizens
across the country held watch over the polling stations. They made sure the
final tallies were documented before the regime could destroy ballots and lie
about the outcome.
The efforts of the collective opposition, both before and
during the election, were innovative and brave, peaceful and democratic. The
opposition received international support when its leaders publicized the vote
counts that had been collected from the country’s election districts, showing
that the opposition had won by a clear margin. But the regime refused to accept
the election result, and clung to power.
Democracy is a precondition for lasting peace. However, we
live in a world where democracy is in retreat, where more and more
authoritarian regimes are challenging norms and resorting to violence. The
Venezuelan regime’s rigid hold on power and its repression of the population
are not unique in the world. We see the same trends globally: rule of law
abused by those in control, free media silenced, critics imprisoned, and
societies pushed towards authoritarian rule and militarization. In 2024, more
elections were held than ever before, but fewer and fewer are free and fair.
In its long history, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has
honored brave women and men who have stood up to repression, who have carried
the hope of freedom in prison cells, on the streets and in public squares, and
who have shown by their actions that peaceful resistance can change the world.
In the past year, Ms 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.
When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize
courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist. Democracy depends on
people who refuse to stay silent, who dare to step forward despite grave risk,
and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted, but must always
be defended – with words, with courage and with determination.
Maria Corina Machado meets all three criteria stated in
Alfred Nobel’s will for the selection of a Peace Prize laureate. She has
brought her country’s opposition together. She has never wavered in resisting
the militarization of Venezuelan society. She has been steadfast in her support
for a peaceful transition to democracy.
Maria Corina Machado has shown that the tools of democracy
are also the tools of peace. She embodies the hope of a different future, one
where the fundamental rights of citizens are protected, and their voices are
heard. In this future, people will finally be free to live in peace.
