Merkel and Pope Francis left without award: Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet

The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet is the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, announced on Friday in Oslo, reports the Patria news agency.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for its decisive contribution to building a pluralistic society in Tunisia following the Jasmine Revolution in 2011, said Committee Chair Karin Kullmann Five.

In recent days, Angela Merkel and Pope Francis were mentioned as favorites.

The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet consists of the local human rights league, the bar association, the employers' association, and the trade union association.

The Quartet was founded in 2013 when the transition to a democratic society was on the verge of collapse and the country on the brink of civil war, said Kullmann Five.

The Norwegian Committee called the Tunisian Quartet "the instrument that enabled the country to establish, within a few years, a constitutional system of governance that guarantees fundamental rights to its entire population, regardless of gender, political belief, or religion," which was not the case in other countries of the Arab Spring.

"Not all countries are the same, but we hope that the process that bore fruit in Tunisia will inspire others and contribute to the promotion of peace and democracy in the Middle East, North Africa, and the rest of the world," said Kullmann Five.

The Nobel Prize will be awarded in December in Oslo, reports Index.