María Corina Machado

María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan politician and activist, is known for her opposition to the administrations of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. She served as a member of the National Assembly of Venezuela from 2011 to 2014, during which time she famously confronted Hugo Chávez during his 2012 State of the Nation Speech, gaining significant public attention. Her political activities included campaigning in areas traditionally supportive of Chávez, focusing on domestic issues like crime and inflation. Machado co-founded Súmate, a volunteer civil organization focused on electoral processes in Venezuela, and has authored a column and a book both titled "The Freedom Manifesto".

In 2023, despite being barred from running by the Venezuelan government, Machado won the opposition primary to become the unity candidate for the 2024 presidential election. On 26 October 2023, she was proclaimed as the unitary presidential candidate of the opposition. Despite her disqualification, she maintained a key role in the opposition and supported Edmundo González, who received majority support in various polls due to her endorsement. Apart from her political endeavors, Machado hosted a weekly hour-long talk show and political analysis program called "Contigo: Con María Corina Machado" on Radio Caracas Radio from 2014 to 2021.

Her relentless pursuit of democratic rights in Venezuela led to her being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025. In the same year, she was listed among Time magazine's 100 most influential people. She also received the 2024 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize and the Sakharov Prize, which she shared with Edmundo González.