The Freedom Manifesto by opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mar�a Corina Machado expands upon her vision of a "new era" for a Venezuela without its dictator, Nicol�s Maduro. This manifesto presents the basic values and principles on which not only her government program is based, but also her vision of the state and the new national project she envisions for Venezuela.
The natural dignity of every human being and their right to be free are essential principles of this project, as is the courage needed to defend them. The need to rebuild the economy with the free labor of citizens and the private sector is a priority. Likewise, the right to security, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, education that begins at home, and civic and transparent voting are pillars of the liberal democracy that Machado wishes to establish in Venezuela.
The return of emigrants, as well as the protection of territory and the return of Venezuela among the democratic nations of the world, are fundamental objectives of this new stage, as is the need for justice to be done for the crimes against humanity committed by the previous regime.
This book brings together the testimonies of dozens of Venezuelans who know the horrors of the previous regime well because they have stood up to it in various ways. Each of these stories reflects and exemplifies many others like them--stories of pain and abuse, but also of light, strength, courage, and hope.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado is the leader of Venezuela's democratic movement and a key advocate for freedom in Latin America. Having won the opposition primaries in 2023 with an overwhelming 92 percent of the vote, she was arbitrarily disqualified by the Nicolás Maduro regime from participating in the 2024 presidential elections. Machado proceeded to unite the country around the call for dignity and freedom, leading the national campaign for Edmundo González that finally obtained 67 percent of the vote.
An industrial engineer (Universidad Católica Andrés Bello) with a master's in finance (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración) and selected as a Yale World Fellow, Machado has always innovated in the service of freedom. In 2002, she cofounded Súmate, the citizen electoral watchdog that collected 3.5 million signatures to trigger a recall referendum against Hugo Chávez. In 2010, she was elected congresswoman with the highest vote count in Venezuelan parliamentary history. Machado also founded and leads VENTE Venezuela, a classical liberal party that advocates for individual liberty, the rule of law, and market economy.
In addition to the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, she has been awarded with the Sakharov Prize (2024), the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize (2024), the Freedom House's Annual Award (2025), and many others. She was included on the TIME 100 list (2025) and BBC's 100 Women List (2018).
