Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for promoting democratic rights in her country and fighting to achieve a transition to democracy, the Norwegian Nobel committee said.
Here are some facts about the democracy activist:
Origin of the upper class
Maria Corina Machado, 58, was born in Caracas, Venezuela on October 7, 1967. She is an industrial engineer by training and her father was a prominent businessman in the Venezuelan steel industry. Her upper-class roots have made her the target of criticism from Venezuela’s ruling socialist party.
In secret
Machado won a resounding victory in the 2023 opposition primary election and her rallies drew large crowds, but a ban on public office prevented her from running for president against Nicolas Maduro in the 2024 election and she went into hiding.
The electoral authority and the country’s highest court say Maduro, whose term was marked by a deep economic and social crisis, won the election, although they have never released detailed tallies.
Machado came out of hiding to make a brief appearance at a protest ahead of Maduro’s inauguration in January. She was briefly arrested and then released.
Defender of liberal economic reforms
Machado advocates for liberal economic reforms, including the privatization of state-owned companies such as PDVSA, the Venezuelan oil company. She also supports the creation of social programs aimed at helping the country’s poorest citizens.
Political activism
Her political activism came at a cost, leaving her isolated as almost all of her top advisors were arrested or forced to leave the country. Machado herself has accused Maduro’s administration of operating like a “criminal mafia.”
Collective struggle
Although sometimes criticized for her selfishness – even by her own mother – Machado rarely speaks about herself in public. Instead, she presents her campaign as a collective struggle for redemption and unity, aiming to inspire hope in Venezuelans weary of economic hardship and social decadence.
