This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.

They were among some 273 contenders for the prestigious prize.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Pope Francis were among those tipped.

The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet was made up of four organizations: the Tunisian General Labor Union, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, the Tunisian Human Rights League, and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers.

“These organizations represent different sectors and values in Tunisian society: working life and welfare, principles of the rule of law and human rights,” said committee chairman Kaci Kullmann Five.

“On this basis, the Quartet exercised its role as a mediator and driving force to advance peaceful democratic development in Tunisia with great moral authority.”