The Nobel Peace Prize Committee chose the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet – a group of four organizations from Tunisia, for the Nobel Peace Prize 2015.
The award was given for the group’s “decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in the country in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.
Surprising Announcement
By this announcement, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee gave a surprise to the analyst who were expecting that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize would be given to one of the figures such as Pope Francis and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
What is the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet?
- It is a group of four organizations that were central in the attempts to build a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.
- The quartet was formed in the summer of 2013.
- It is dedicated to creating dialogue between disparate elements of Tunisian society.
- The National Dialogue Quartet comprises of a labor union, a trade confederation, a human rights organization and a lawyers group.
- The four organizations and their leaders are:
| Sr No | Organisation | Leader |
| 1 | Tunisian General Labour Union | Houcine Abbassi |
| 2 | Tunisian Confederation of Industry; Trade and Handicrafts | Wided Bouchamaoui |
| 3 | Tunisian Human Rights League | Abdessattar Ben Moussa |
| 4 | Tunisian Order of Lawyers | Mohamed Fadhel Mahfoudh |
What was the contribution of the quartet?
The Nobel Committee said that:
- “The quartet was formed in the summer of 2013 when the democratization process was in danger of collapsing as a result of political assassinations and widespread social unrest.”
- “It established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war.”
- “It was thus instrumental in enabling Tunisia, in the space of a few years, to establish a constitutional system of government guaranteeing fundamental rights for the entire population, irrespective of gender, political conviction or religious belief.”
What was the Jasmine Revolution?
The Tunisian Revolution is also known as the Jasmine Revolution. It was an intensive campaign of civil resistance, including a series of street demonstrations taking place in Tunisia.
Establishment of Democracy
The events began on 18 December 2010 and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.
It eventually led to a thorough democratization of the country and to free and democratic elections. The elections saw the victory of a coalition of the Islamist Ennahda Movement with the centre-left Congress for the Republic and the left-leaning Ettakatol as junior partners.
