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Maria Corina Machado has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in “promoting peace” in Latin America at a time when “democracy is under threat”.
Ms Machado was declared the winner in an announcement made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo on Friday.
The Venezuelan opposition leader was awarded for “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its citation.
The politician is currently in hiding due to serious threats to her life.
“When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,” the Committee continued.
The news will come as a disappointment to President Donald Trump. The American leader has been engaged in peacemaking efforts – with one eye on the accolade – ever since he returned to office in January this year. In the past 24 hours, he shared several articles on Truth Social claiming he should win the award for securing a peace deal between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters at a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2025, the day before his inauguration for a third term. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Since his return to office, he has claimed to have stopped “seven wars” including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which remains ongoing.
Trump is eager to be recognised for his efforts to end the wars America has been involved in around the world.
Declaring his 20-point plan for Gaza alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he announced the document would end “thousands of years” of conflict and that it was a “big, big day, a beautiful day”, and “potentially one of the greatest days ever in civilisation”.
He has been open about his frustrations with his allies’ reluctance to cooperate, hitting out at Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “paper tiger” and saying Netanyahu was “f**king me” and being “so negative” with attacks on Qatar and further delays to a ceasefire.
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(Getty Images)
However, he has had his supporters around the globe including the Hostages and Missing Families Forum who said the President should win for having brought them “light in our darkest times”.
Pakistan also nominated Mr Trump for his involvement in the de-escalation of the conflict Pakistan and India earlier this year.
His efforts have been lauded as “historic” by some commentators with no previous leader having launched an initiative for Israeli-Palestinian talks on such a scale and forging a formidable coalition of nations to work towards it.
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(EPA)
Trump has previously said about the Prize: “I should have gotten it four or five times.”
In March 2025, the Nobel Committee announced that 338 candidates had been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, of which 244 are individuals and 94 are organizations.
The winner is awarded $1.2 million, (£902,000) which will be presented at a ceremony on 10 December on the anniversary of the death of the Swedish industrialist.
Previous Prize holders include activist Mother Theresa, South African leader Nelson Mandela, and US politician Henry Kissinger.