Maria Corina Machado reco7gnised "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela" and "her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy"
"As the leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela, Machado is one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times," the Nobel Committee's chairman says
María Corina Machado is the opposition leader in Venezuela. She was barred from running in last year's presidential elections, which were widely dismissed internationally as neither free nor fair.
When I was in Caracas for the elections, she managed to attract huge crowds to the streets to rally for their candidate – Edmundo Gonzalez.
She alarmed Nicolas Maduro's government as, for once, a unifying figure for the country's opposition who was capable of attracting thousands of people to the streets – and to polling stations.
All the polls last year pointed to her movement winning. And yet, Nicolas Maduro won office for a third term despite election observers documenting many irregularities. I witnessed some myself, such as people not being forced to wait hours outside polling stations.
After the election result, there were protests around the country. But, these swiftly were quashed by a crackdown by the authorities.
Machado herself has been living in hiding pretty much ever since, with the exception of a brief appearance during a protest ahead of Maduro's inauguration in January. She was briefly arrested, and then freed.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes is asked about Machado's safety and security now that she has been awarded this prize.
Machado is in hiding and has been so since August 2024.
Frydnes says it's a discussion they have every year, "particularly when the person who receives the prize is in hiding because of serious threats to her life".
He explains she is active and will continue to be in Venezuela, so therefore they have taken the consideration that the prize will "support her cause and not limit it".
When asked if they expect to see her at the prize giving in Oslo in December, he says they would hope to but acknowledge there's a serious security situation.
US President Donald Trump had led a public campaign to win the award, but nominations closed in January - at the start of his second term in office.
On Donald Trump, the chairman is asked about the pressure from the US president himself and some in the international community to earmark the prize for Trump, and whether this pressure impacted the work of the committee in deliberating.
In response, Frydnes says that "in the long history" of the Nobel Peace Prize the committee has seen campaigns and "media tension" and it receives thousands of letters each year from people who say "what for them leads to peace".
"We base our decision only on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel," he concludes.
Each Nobel prize consists of a medal, a personal diploma, and a cash award.
This year, each prize will be awarded 11m Swedish kronor (£869,484; $1,156,395). That means if one person is awarded the prize they keep the full sum, but if a group of scientists is awarded the prize they share the sum between themselves.
Nobel Peace Prize 2025: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins
Nominations closed in January but US President Donald Trump had led a public campaign to win the award.
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