He credits the coalition – the National Dialogue Quartet – with playing an “indispensable role” in that arduous process.
Advertisement
Many Tunisians complain that the revolution and democracy has brought them little improvements despite an increased freedom of expression, and young people in particular stayed away from the last election in droves.
Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.
The Nobel committee said the quartet played a key role as a mediator and a force for democracy, paving the way for a peaceful dialogue among citizens, political parties and authorities across political and religious divides, countering the spread of violence.
The Nobel prize was viewed as a reward for Tunisia’s fight for democracy when hope was vanishing in 2013.
He adds: “It’s through dialogue, it’s through consensus, and that’s the big lesson”. “And that the language of weapons leads us nowhere”, he said.
He says that Tunisia’s problems such as terrorism can not be solved by Tunisia alone.
Njoelstad said the change sends an important message about the independence of the panel to China.
The group came together at the initiative of Houcine Abassi, leader of the Tunisian General Labor Union, and Wided Bouchamaoui, president of the employers union, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, to try to put the nation back on course.
“This recognition belongs to all those who gave birth to the Arab Spring and are striving to safeguard the sacrifices of so many”, he said.
The civil society leaders were cited for helping to create the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring. “Tunisia has managed to avoid the disappointment and dashed hopes that have tragically emerged elsewhere”.
There were 273 candidates nominated for the 2015 peace prize, five fewer than in 2014.
“The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet offers hope that serious political challenges can be overcome through dialogue and consensual politics”, Ban said in a statement. “And now it’s really the only country in the region that remains on a path to democracy”.
Kullmann Five, the committee chairwoman, noted there was also good news Friday from Libya, where a United Nations envoy proposed a national unity government worked out with rival factions after months of hard talks. The pair drew in the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. “After visit to Tunisia in March I understand and respect (the) choice”.
Meanwhile, other countries where the people rose up to topple dictators and demand democracy have also seen outcomes that seem to mock the high-minded efforts of those who launched the revolution.
French President Francois Hollande says the Nobel Peace Prize for Tunisia is a signal to the world to support the country against extremists and internal strife.
The Arab Spring began in Tunisia in late 2010, when Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor who was the victim of endless harassment from local government officials, set himself on fire, triggering an uprising and soon a revolution.
I this October 13, 2014 file picture members of the quartet… Most of the dead were tourists enjoying either a top museum or one of Tunisia’s famed Mediterranean beaches.
Tunisia was once under French rule and still has significant trade with France and many French speakers.
Advertisement
The Nobel Peace Prize has shone a bright spotlight on the Quartet’s work, and the way it has itself sent a small ray of light across the Middle East. In doing so, it has revived memories of a more hopeful time, and dares to suggest that maybe, just maybe, the optimism of the past can bear fruit in the future.
