“And more than anything, what we Venezuelans can offer the world is the lesson forged through this long and difficult journey: that to have democracy, we must be willing to fight for freedom.”
María Corina Machado’s remark at the 2025 Nobel Peace Award Ceremony, as delivered by her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado
International Women’s Day just passed us by, and what better way to honor that day than to honor the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado.
Machado is a native of Venezuela, born in 1967, and educated in both finance and engineering. She is currently a politician and pro-democracy advocate. In 1992, under the regime of Hugo Chávez, Machado created Súmate, an NGO “devoted to promoting electoral transparency and defending citizens’ political rights.” She won a seat in the National Assembly in 2010, and in 2023 she announced her campaign for president against Nicolás Maduro.
However, Maduro barred her from running for presidential office, so Machado endorsed Edmundo González Urrutia as the candidate in her place. Maduro then won the 2024 election amid allegations of election fraud, and the Venezuelan people protested against his victory throughout the country.
Machado was forced into hiding in Venezuela, only stepping back into the public eye when she was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
In her acceptance speech, she stated, “This prize carries profound meaning; it reminds the world that democracy is essential to peace … My dear Venezuelans, the world has marveled at what we have achieved. And soon it will witness one of the most moving sights of our time: our loved ones coming home—[to] welcome them back into the luminous life that awaits us.”
Her life is not just a powerful story, but also a powerful example of what can be achieved for freedom today. The United States is struggling with division at the moment, and the foundations that the country was built on may not sustain the country much longer. And although the American people may be divided on many issues, many of them still seek to uphold the freedom and democracy that this country has benefited from for 250 years. Machado and her supporters exemplify that a collective effort to protect the good of a country can become a force for change.
Now, a few months into 2026, Machado hopes to return to Venezuela and lead her people through a transition to democracy. “…Everything changed. And now, [the current Venezuelan regime] must follow instructions to move forward with the dismantling of the repression, the economic recovery of our country, and to advance towards the transition.”