María Corina Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her role in advancing democratic rights in Venezuela.

Machado winning means US President Donald Trump has lost out on the prize. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ian Borg was among those who nominated Trump.

The move drew criticism from Labour stalwarts and political commentators alike.

Borg said he presented the American President with a letter written in his own name, informing him of the nomination. He also noted that he encouraged the President to continue working on the Middle East and Ukraine."

The Deputy Prime Minister cited Trump's role in helping to broker peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan as the basis for his nomination.

Machado was recognised for her leadership in Venezuela’s democracy movement and for her persistent efforts to promote political freedoms and a peaceful transition away from authoritarian rule.

In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government intensified its crackdown on political opposition. Machado, who was expected to challenge Maduro, was barred from running. The election period was marked by arrests, disqualifications, and widespread human rights abuses.

After the National Electoral Council, dominated by Maduro loyalists, declared him the winner despite allegations of fraud, protests erupted nationwide. The government’s violent response left more than 20 people dead and led several countries, including Argentina, to sever diplomatic ties with Venezuela.

In September 2024, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution recognizing González, rather than Maduro, as the legitimate winner of the presidential election.