Venezuelan Opposition Leader won the Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Mahado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025.

The 58 -year -old Macado was welcomed by the Nobel Committee as “one of the most unusual examples of civil courage in Latin America lately.” She has campaign against Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro Moros, whose 12-year rule is seen by many as illegitimate.

“This huge recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is a push for the end of our task: to conquer freedom,” Mahado said in a statement.

Among those who missed was US President Donald Trump, who did not make a secret of his desire to receive the prestigious award, with public overturies of Seven wars he claims to have endedS

The prize nominations ended in January. A White House employee replied, saying that “the Nobel Committee has proved that it is setting a policy over peace.”

CBS News – The BBC partner – understands Trump called Machado to congratulate her, saying she deserves the award.

By announcing the recipient of the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo on Friday, the Commission warned that “democracy is in retreat” worldwide.

Mahado – who was forced to live in hiding in the biggest part of the past year – was recognized as “her struggle to achieve a fair and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” said Nobel Chairman Jogen Wat Friednes.

It was a “key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided … in a brutal authoritarian state that is now suffering from a humanitarian and economic crisis,” he added.

“Despite the serious threats against her life, she remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions.”

Responding to the Nobel Committee’s message, Machado said: “We are on the verge of victory and today we rely on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America and the democratic nations of the world as our main allies to achieve freedom and democracy.

“Venezuela will be free!”

Earlier, Mahado shocked in response to the award, saying in a separate video message that it was “achieving a whole society”.

“I’m just one person. I certainly don’t deserve it,” she added.

Mahado – who has long been one of the most respected votes in Venezuela’s opposition – has been banned from running for last year’s presidential election, in which Maduro won the third six -year term of office.

The elections were widely rejected on the international scene as neither free nor fair and caused protests throughout the country.

Even after she was banned from the urns, she was able to unite the notoriously divided opposition faction and managed to receive millions of Venezuelas behind the little -known candidate who replaced her on the newsletter, Edmundo Gonzalez.

When the government -controlled National Election Board declared Maduro the winner – although Tali from the polling stations showed that Gonzalez had won from a landslide – Machado continued to campaign from hiding, as the Maduro government threatened her with arrest.

Gonzalez wrote on social media that the award was “a deserved recognition of the long struggle of a woman and of a whole nation for our freedom and democracy.”

Fried was critical of Venezuela’s leadership during a press conference after the prize was announced, saying that the committee saw the same trends that were emerging around the world.

“(The rule of law), abused by controls, the free media has been silent, critics are closed and societies are pushed to authoritarian rule and militarization,” he said.

He added that he hoped Machado would be able to attend the Oslo award ceremony in December, but acknowledged the serious security situation.

There were 338 candidates nominated for this year’s Peace Prize, according to the Nobel Committee – although the names of the candidates will not be discovered in 50 years, according to tradition.

Trump has repeatedly said that he deserves the award, once announcing that “everyone says I have to receive it.”

A number of world leaders have supported his offer including Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, who publicly revealed a nomination letter while visiting the White HouseLike the governments of Pakistan and Azerbaijan, despite the closure of nominations in January, just when Trump’s second term began.

Asked if the pressure from the US president and some of the international community awarding the Trump Award, the award influenced the discussions of the committee, Fried said there were many campaigns and “media tensions” in the “long history” of the Nobel Peace Prize.

“We based our decision only on Alfred Nobel’s work and will,” he said.

Responding to the message on Friday, the White House Communication Director Stephen Cheng wrote in an X publication that “The Nobel Committee has proved that it is setting policy over peace.”

“President Trump will continue to make peace transactions, end wars and life rescue.

“He has the heart of a humanitarian and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the pure power of his will,” Cheng added.

The Nobel Prize, which is divided into six categories, celebrates the work of people or organizations that have contributed “the greatest benefit to humanity.”

Fried said Machado has met “all criteria” set out by Nobel for the award, and “embodies the hope for the future.”