María Corina Machado is truly a heroine for our time

María Corina Machado is truly a heroine for our time. She has just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025. After going through a harrowing escape journey from Venezuela, she made it to Oslo.

Ms. Machado, now a Nobel Laureate, is a brave and principled opposition leader to Nicolás Maduro, the despicable despot and drug king who is the dictator of Venezuela.

Ms. Machado courageously led a grassroots election campaign in last year’s presidential election. In spite of widespread violence and intimidation by the Maduro government, Ms. Machado won a landslide victory, which has been recognized as legitimate around the world by freedom-loving countries.

Her victory forced her to go into hiding in Venezuela, where she has continued to denounce Maduro’s human rights abuses and blatant abuse of power through videos. Her courage and unwavering commitment to the restoration of freedom and democracy in Venezuela have made her the most popular political figure in her country.

As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, it is inspiring and encouraging to witness the flame that was lit so long ago in Philadelphia continues to inspire people around the world to embrace and be willing to die for the freedoms guaranteed when the principle that “All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are put into practice.

The authority of government comes from the consent of the people, and they have the right and the duty to hold the government to account to not betray those principles.

Ms. Machado gave a powerful and moving Nobel Laureate address, delivered by her daughter in her absence. In this address, Ms. Maduro speaks glowingly of her and her people’s love for freedom.

She began her speech by telling the story of her country’s “long march toward freedom.” She points out that,

“In 1811, we wrote the first constitution in the Spanish-speaking world, one of the earliest republican constitutions on Earth, affirming the radical idea that every human being carries a sovereign dignity. This constitution enshrined citizenship, individual rights, religious liberty, and separation of powers.”

She described the blessings that came with the massive oil discoveries beginning in 1922. She then related how even “the strongest democracy weakens when its citizens forget that freedom is not something we wait for, but something to become.”

She went on to confess: “My generation was born in a vibrant democracy, and we took it for granted. We assumed freedom was as permanent as the air we breathed. We cherished our rights, but we forgot our duties.”

She recounts how oil wealth corrupted the government. She explained that massive oil money became “a tool to purchase loyalty abroad while at home criminal and international terrorist groups fused themselves to the state.”

Corruption led to the collapse of the economy, and poverty passed 80%. Over 9 million Venezuelans fled the country, reducing the population to 28 million.

She recounts how the Venezuelan government sought “to divide society by ideology, by race, by origin, by way of life pushing Venezuelans to distrust one another, to silence one another, to see enemies in one another. They smothered us, they took prisoners, they killed us, they forced us into exile.”

So Ms. Machado and many of her fellow countrymen led a brave and noble effort to hold a nationwide election, in spite of government attempts at suppression and intimidation. Ms. Machado was banned from the general election after winning the primary handily. She was forced to go into hiding, yet her party’s candidate won in a landslide in the general election.

Of course, the dictatorship refused to recognize their defeat and they increased their oppression of the people. In the 16 months since the suppression of the election, the people have continued to resist.

And then she shared stirring words with the Nobel Prize audience:

“What we Venezuelans can offer the world is the lesson forged through this long and difficult journey: that to have democracy, we must be willing to fight for freedom.

And freedom is a choice that must be renewed each day, measured by our willingness and our courage to defend it.

For this reason, the cause of Venezuela transcends our borders. A people who choose freedom contribute not only to themselves, but to humanity.”

Her speech glows with confidence in the ultimate victory of her nation’s quest for freedom:

“Venezuela will breathe again. We will open prison doors and watch thousands who were unjustly detained step into the warm sun, embraced at last by those who never stopped fighting for them. We will see our students debate ideas passionately and without fear, their voices rising freely at last.

We will hug again. Fall in love again. Hear our streets fill with laughter and music.

All the simple joys the world takes for granted will be ours….Because in the end, our journey towards freedom has always lived inside us. We are returning to ourselves. We are returning home.”

The flame of freedom still burns brightly and has lost none of its power to inspire human hearts and spirits. What began 250 years ago in Philadelphia on that first July 4thd continues to lift the human spirit. May we all draw inspiration and courage from it.