14 DAY TRIAL // Russian President Vladimir Putin is among the nominees for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, as reported by the Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Geir Lundestad.
The Nobel Institute announced on Tuesday a record 278 candidates, including politicians, public activists and organizations, and although the list is kept secret for at least 50 years, the sponsors can reveal the name of their nominee if they want to.
US whistleblower Edward Snowden, Pope Francis and Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai have also been nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee will announce the winner in Oslo on October 10.
It would appear that being included on the nominees list for the Nobel Peace Prize is not so difficult, given that thousands of people can suggest candidates: former laureates, lawmakers, ministers and university professors.
“The number of nominations increases almost every year, which shows a growing interest in the prize,” Geir Lundestad said.
Despite the ongoing conflict in Crimea, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is still on the list of nominees for the prestigious prize. The Russian President was first proposed for the Nobel Prize in October by an advocacy group, who cited his role in the Syrian crisis.
In August 2013, Putin prevented a US air raid on the Syrian regime following a chemical attack on its citizens. He then suggested putting Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons arsenal under international control.
However, Putin's chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize appear to be limited, especially if we take into consideration the recent allegations that he is about to start a war in Ukraine.
Even though most Russians oppose intervention in Ukraine, the country's unelected “senators” approved Putin’s request to use military force in Ukraine last week, which clearly illustrates the authoritarian and unrepresentative nature of Russia’s political system.
Ironically, while Putin motivated the invasion claiming that the country needs to “protect Russians in Ukraine,” police forces arrested a number of Russians on the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg because they were protesting against war.
When asked about the situation in Ukraine, Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), said it was hard to predict who would play a major role in the ongoing conflict in that region in the following months.
“The dramatic situation in which Ukraine finds itself could influence the Nobel committee's thoughts, but at this stage I don't see any clear candidates standing out,” he said, cited by The Times of India.