Maria Corina Machado Wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 was awarded on October 10 to Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan politician and democracy activist.

• Recognition: Machado was honoured for her tireless efforts to promote democratic rights and her struggle to secure a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela.

Political Context:

• Once a beacon of democracy in Latin America, Venezuela’s democratic institutions began eroding under Hugo Chávez, a process that deepened under Nicolás Maduro.
• Political scientist Laura Gamboa’s 2025 paper, “Plebiscitary Override in Venezuela: Erosion of Democracy and Deepening Authoritarianism,” detailed this transformation.

Machado’s Political Journey:

• A longtime critic of Venezuela’s authoritarian regimes, Machado has faced persecution, including treason accusations in 2005.
• Despite controversies over her close ties with Washington, she has maintained strong international support for her pro-democracy stance.
• In 2005, she was invited to the White House by then U.S. President George W. Bush, a move that cemented her global profile but divided opinion at home.

Nobel Peace Prize Facts:

• The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 106 times between 1901 and 2025 to 143 laureates — 112 individuals and 31 organisations.
• Among organisations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has received it three times (1917, 1944, 1963), and the UNHCR twice (1954, 1981), bringing the total to 28 unique organisations honoured so far.