María Corina Machado “is an extraordinary symbol of the fight against oppressive autocratic regimes, representing the victory of peaceful resistance, the fight for freedom, and the fight for liberal democracy,” stated Mariana Leitão during a campaign action for the upcoming municipal elections on Sunday.
Addressing the Venezuelan government’s management, Mariana Leitão remarked that “populisms, unfortunately, are characteristic of both extremes and are not exclusive to one side or the other.”
“We are trying to combat that populism, those extremisms. The Liberal Initiative holds a very moderate stance, advocating for human rights, human dignity, democracy, and human rights, and we will always continue to defend these principles,” she added.
This afternoon, the Liberal Initiative presented a vote of congratulations for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the activist, describing it as “a milestone of enormous significance not only for Venezuela but for all societies facing authoritarian regimes and fighting for freedom, the rule of law, and human dignity.”
In its voting declaration, the Liberal Initiative stated that Venezuela was once a democracy and a “vibrant society,” but the “progressive institutional collapse,” “accelerated under Nicolás Maduro’s regime, transformed the country into one of the most dramatic examples of contemporary authoritarianism,” marked by “absolute political control, the destruction of democratic institutions, electoral manipulation, systemic corruption, and violent repression.”
Today, the Nobel Prize “recognizes a woman who refused exile and chose to remain in her country despite constant threats, becoming a symbol of courage for millions of citizens who believe in a democratic future for Venezuela,” through “a struggle based on non-violence, popular mobilization, democratic unity, and the refusal to legitimize the dictatorship.”
For Mariana Leitão, the activist “represents this peaceful struggle, a peaceful resistance, she herself being a victim of persecution, attempts of silencing, and similar situations that are unacceptable in a democracy.”
“What we want is for freedom to always prevail, the individual freedom of each of us, including in politics,” she said, accusing the far-right and far-left of insisting on “pitting people against each other.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced today that the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Venezuelan opposition leader “for her untiring work in promoting the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and for her struggle to achieve a fair and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Born in 1967 in Venezuela, María Corina Machado is one of the main voices of the democratic opposition to Nicolás Maduro’s regime, having been the favorite candidate for victory in the presidential elections of July 2024.
However, she was barred from running when, in January 2024, the Supreme Court, aligned with Maduro’s government, prohibited her from holding public office for 15 years.
