Tunisian Democracy Group Wins Nobel Peace Prize

The National Dialogue Quartet in Tunisia has won the Nobel Peace prize for its "decisive contribution" to building a democracy in the country in the wake of its 2011 revolution.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its citation the group had "established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war".

The quartet is made up of four key organisations in Tunisian society: the Tunisian General Labour Union; the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts; the Tunisian Human Rights League; and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers.

"The Nobel Peace Prize for 2015 is awarded to this quartet, not to the four individual organisations as such," the committee said.

The prize is a huge victory for Tunisia and its young and still shaky democracy.

It suffered two terrorist attacks this year that devastated its tourism industry - including a beach massacre that left dozens of British tourists dead.

Protesters in Tunisia sparked uprisings across the Arab world in 2011 that overthrew a number of dictators.

Tunisia's revolution is considered to have been the most successful, with a range of political and social forces coming together to create a constitution, legislature and democratic institutions.

Committee chair Kaci Kullmann Five said: "More than anything, the prize is intended as an encouragement to the Tunisian people, who despite major challenges have laid the groundwork for a national fraternity which the committee hopes will serve as an example to be followed by other countries."

The decision came as a surprise to many, with speculation having focused on the work of individuals during Europe's migration crisis and the work to secure a nuclear deal between the US and Iran.

Ooyvind Stenersen, a Nobel historian, described the decision as "a bit bewildering".

"It was very unexpected," he said.

Pope Francis was among the nominees, as was German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

A total of 273 candidates were nominated for the 2015 prize, five fewer than in 2014.

The award ended a week of Nobel Prize announcements, with the winners of the medicine, physics, chemistry and literature awards all revealed.

The economics award will be announced on Monday.