A Nobel for Arab Democracy

And it began with the Quartet calls for a national dialogue.

As assassinations and street protests roiled domestic politics in 2013, the National Dialogue Quartet played an invaluable role in keeping Tunisia’s transition on track.

“Can we consider ourselves as a success?”

Jomaa says the process of transition to a new system continues.

The Nobel Committee said the group was awarded the prize for its contribution to building democracy after the Jasmine Revolution in 2011.

Previously, the prime minister and foreign ministry were informed about the victor an hour before the official announcement. “Congratulations to Tunisia, to the quartet and to all parties that facilitated the mission of the quartet”, the labour union’s secretary general, Houcine Abassi, told Radio Mosaque FM, a Tunisian station.

A group of Tunisian trade unions, lawyers and human rights activists have won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.

Ban Ki-moon says “this recognition belongs to all those who gave birth to the Arab Spring and are striving to safeguard the sacrifices of so many”. “Tunisia has managed to avoid the disappointment and dashed hopes that have tragically emerged elsewhere”.

The Nobel Committee’s choice came as a surprise.

The group – named the National Dialogue Quartet – was formed during unrest in Tunisia. “And now it’s really the only country in the region that remains on a path to democracy”.

United Nations envoy Bernardino Leon has proposed a national unity government for Libya after months of hard talks between the north African country’s two rival governments.

Today, Tunisia’s government is headed by Habib Essid.

It also has been central to the country’s stability, integrity and pursuit of justice. “I think that’s the most important message”.

The Nobel committee said it hopes Tunisia will be an example for other countries. Many Tunisians wanted his many years of strong rule and corruption to end.

The president of the Human Rights League, Abdessattar Ben Moussa, told the radio station, “It proves that dialogue is the only way to solve a crisis and not weapons”. She had been nominated before the February 1 deadline for her role in trying to broker peace between Russian Federation and Ukraine.

Neither Tunisia’s job nor the quartet’s is finished.

Kaci Kullman Five leads the Nobel Committee. In May, Tunisia’s president visited Washington. Walesa led the Solidarity freedom movement in the 1980s that brought about the ouster of communism. About a third of young people are jobless.

The crisis ended, and a year ago Tunisia held successful legislative and presidential elections to complete its transition.

Houcine Abassi, leader of the Tunisian General Labour Union, said he was “overwhelmed” as he found out about the award.

A Tunisian coalition of workers, employers, human rights activists, and lawyers have won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Tunisian protesters sparked uprisings across the Arab world in 2011 that overthrew dictators and upset the status quo. The government was paralyzed, the constitution unfinished and the country on the brink of war.

The award also draws global attention to a region that is increasingly known more for the harrowing actions of the Islamic State group than the kind of compromise and negotiations that have allowed Tunisia to succeed. Problems remain, however. In March, Islamist gunmen killed 21 tourists in an attack at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, and 38 foreigners were killed in an assault on a Sousse beach hotel in June. Having seen the elected Muslim Brotherhood government deposed and arrested in Egypt, Tunisia’s Islamists feared a similar fate.

MONTAGNE: Well, just briefly, Leila, who were the other frontrunners?

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif could be candidates for their July deal on Iran’s nuclear program, as could Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and rebel leader Rodrigo Londono.