‘Ballots over bullets’: How Maria Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize is a victory for democracy in Venezuela and beyond

When Maria Corina Machado co-founded Súmate more than two decades ago, she was simply fighting for fair elections in Venezuela. Today, that same determination has earned her the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, and global recognition as one of the fiercest defenders of democracy in Latin America.

Born in Caracas in 1967, Machado trained as an industrial engineer before turning to politics. Her organisation, Súmate, became a leading voice for electoral transparency in Venezuela, promoting what she called “a choice of ballots over bullets.”

For years, Machado has been one of the most vocal critics of Venezuela’s authoritarian leadership. She has faced harassment, arrests, and bans from holding office. Yet, she continues to push for a peaceful, democratic transition, even as the regime’s grip tightens.

In 2024, when she was blocked from contesting the presidential election, Machado threw her weight behind opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, uniting citizens across political lines. Under her leadership, volunteers were trained as election observers, working under threat of arrest to safeguard transparency.

Her courage has inspired millions, especially in a country where dissent can mean imprisonment or worse. Forced into hiding, she remains inside Venezuela, continuing her campaign for human rights and justice.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised her for bringing together a fragmented opposition and for “never wavering in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy.”

Machado’s award places her in a long line of Nobel laureates who have stood up to repression. Her story is not only about Venezuela’s struggle, but about the resilience of democracy itself at a time when it is increasingly under attack.