The former presidential candidate says the Nobel Peace Prize recognizes the struggle for democracy in Venezuela.
14ymedio/EFE. Madrid, 10 October 2025 — María Corina Machado’s first reaction to being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize was astonishment. “I’m in shock,” “I can’t believe it,” she said in a video posted on social media by Edmundo González.
González, the Venezuelan opposition leader and former presidential candidate, who now lives in Madrid, posted a message on X saying that this award is a recognition of “the struggle of a woman and an entire people” for “freedom and democracy” in Venezuela.
“Our beloved Maria Corina Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize! Well-deserved recognition of the long struggle of a woman and an entire people for our freedom and democracy. Venezuela’s first Nobel Prize winner! Congratulations @mariacorinaya, Venezuela will be free!” he wrote.
The message was accompanied by the conversation the two had as soon as they learned of the decision.
Hours later, the Norwegian committee released the video in which the opposition leader was informed of the decision, minutes before the formal announcement. Machado, initially shocked, composed her voice to emphasize that this is an “achievement” and “recognition” for all the Venezuelan people.
“This is an achievement for the entire society. I’m just one person, I don’t deserve it,” she stated. “I feel honored, overwhelmed, and very grateful on behalf of the people of Venezuela.”
The opposition leader, who still doesn’t know if she will be able to attend the ceremony, told Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, that it would take her “much longer to believe what I just heard” and was cautious about the future of her struggle.
“We are not there yet. We are working hard to achieve it. I’m sure we will win. This is the greatest recognition for our people, and they deserve it,” she said.
Later, in a letter published on her X account, Machado insisted on receiving the award “in the name of the people of Venezuela, who have fought for their freedom with admirable courage, dignity, intelligence and love.”
The Nobel Prize, she explains, is a “unique boost that injects energy and confidence into Venezuelans, both inside and outside the country, to complete our task.”
In the missive, she recalls that Venezuelans have suffered “26 years of violence and humiliation at the hands of a tyranny obsessed with subjugating its citizens and breaking the soul of the nation,” whose machinery of oppression has been “brutal and systematic, characterized by detentions, torture, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions that constitute crimes against humanity and state terrorism.”
However, she continues, “the response of the people has been firm and unyielding.” She asserts, “Today we are very close to achieving our goal.” The Nobel Prize, she explains, is a “unique boost that injects energy and confidence into Venezuelans, both at home and abroad, to complete our task,” a “support” that “demonstrates that the global democratic community understands and shares our struggle,” and a “firm call for the transition to democracy in Venezuela to be achieved immediately.”
Also speaking from Madrid, Leopoldo López said that, equally, he considers this a recognition of “a people determined to change.”
“Congratulations to Maria Corina Machado for this well-deserved recognition of your courage and tireless fight for democracy, freedom, and human rights,” said López, who has been in exile since 2020.
The opposition leader noted that “nothing and no one will stop us until we achieve a free and democratic Venezuela.”
Vente Venezuela, the political movement of María Corina Machado, considers the Nobel Prize to be an “incentive” that “recognizes and exalts” the struggle of all democrats and of an entire people for freedom.
“It’s an indescribable feeling, it is recognition of years of work by María Corina and, obviously, a team. And, in the end, I think it’s recognition of the struggle of a people,” José Antonio Vega, coordinator of Vente Venezuela and the opposition coalition Comando con Venezuela en España, told EFE on Friday.
“In Venezuela, we are fighting against a regime that, years ago, declared war on its citizens (and the Western world), and we have had to confront it,” he explained. “And the fight is precisely that, to rescue peace, tranquility, since nearly nine million Venezuelans have had to emigrate to achieve the peace that was denied to us there.”
Beyond all the awards, her greatest reward is that of her own people, “who legitimized her at the polls,” he commented, referring to the July 2024 presidential elections. The people continue to support her, accompanying her because “they recognize in her courageous, responsible, and consistent leadership,” Vega added.
The island’s first reaction comes from the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba, which expressed its “deep joy” for the “tireless struggle for a democratic transition,” which makes it an “inspiration for other nations like Cuba that fight for freedom.”
“For us, as Cubans, this award also represents a shared hope: that courage, commitment, and the civic and peaceful struggle for democracy are possible paths to achieving freedom for our people,” it added. “Today we join the Venezuelan people in this well-deserved recognition, and we reaffirm that the cause of democracy and human rights is a common cause. The cause of freedom for Venezuela is also the cause of freedom for Cuba.”
In Europe, EU leaders have expressed their congratulations to the winner. “This award honors not only your courage and conviction, but also every voice that refuses to be silenced. In Venezuela and around the world,” said EU President Ursula von der Leyen on social media. Similar comments were made by Portuguese Social Democrat Antònio Costa, President of the European Council, and by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola of Malta, who recalled that the European Parliament’s 2024 Sakharov Prize went to Machado and González Urrutia.
Leaders such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuele Macron also expressed their congratulations, as did the presidents of Panama and of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who said he hoped the award “will help your country achieve dialogue and maintain peace.”
The UN Human Rights Office emphasized that the recognition “reflects the clear aspirations of the Venezuelan people for free and fair elections, civil rights, and respect for the rule of law.”
“The High Commissioner for Human Rights (Volker Türk) has consistently upheld these values,” added Thameen Al Kheetan, a spokesperson for the office, in a press conference.
The spokesperson emphasized the UN office’s desire to “maintain a dialogue in good faith with the Government of Venezuela and all parties involved, based on mutual respect.”
“We remain firmly committed to continuing to work to defend and protect the human rights of all Venezuelans, both within the country and abroad,” he added, lamenting that in July the Venezuelan National Assembly declared High Commissioner Türk persona non grata .
The spokesperson for the United Nations European Headquarters in Geneva, Alessandra Vellucci, joined the congratulations at the same press conference and noted that the Norwegian Nobel Committee has recognized Machado for “her promotion of the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
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