Nobel Peace Prize 2015: Pope Francis, Angela Merkel and John Kerry among possible laureates

The announcement of this year’s Nobel peace prize is due on to be announced on this morning, the debate over who is likely to win the world’s top humanitarian prize is in full swing. Last year, it was won by Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi. 

His Holiness Pope Francis, serious contender for the 2015 Nobel Prize

Pope Francis, Angela Merkel and John Kerry are among the possible contenders to win the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee will be selecting laureates from 273 nominees - 205 individuals and 68 organisations.

The Geneva-based International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was named as a leading contender for the $972,000 (£632,000) prize by Norway's state broadcaster NRK and by Nobeliana, a website run by historians who specialise in tracking the award. NRK said Pope Francis' opposition to nuclear weapons boosted his chances, alongside his help in brokering a deal between the United States and Cuba, and his encyclical on climate change. 

Both organisations also highlighted Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, while Nobeliana picked out Sumiteru Taniguchi, a survivor of the atomic attack on Nagasaki.

NRK, which has correctly predicted a number of winners, also mentioned Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry as contenders for concluding a deal over Tehran's nuclear programme. Pundits named other contenders, including Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos and Marxist rebel leader Rodrigo Londono, for their efforts to put an end to the war that has blighted Colombia for five decades.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the United Nations refugee agency, Eritrean priest Mussie Zerai and the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa, Giusi Nicolini, have also been named widely because of their work dealing with the refugee crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and its editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov, known for their investigations into corruption, and Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege, who helps victims of sexual violence, have also been mentioned by commentators.

The winner is expected to be announced at 11am BST.

Source; Independent