Carles Puigdemont, who fled into exile in Belgium to avoid detention for sedition after organising an illegal referendum in Catalonia last October 1 is listed as joint third on the favourites list by Time magazine, behind the current leaders of North and South Korea, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, and US president Donald Trump.
TIME | Here Are the Favorites to Win the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize
Carles Puigdemont candidato al Premio Nobel de la Pazhttps://t.co/QoukDcLDR5 pic.twitter.com/0WdnPd3KLL— Lluís Busom -luBus-?️ (@busom_femenia) October 3, 2018
The US newspaper compiled their list of favourites based on odds being offered by betting site Ladbrokes, which currently puts Puigdemont at odds of 12/1, tied with UNHCR, the UN refugees agency
The magazine describes him as “figurehead of last October’s unofficial Catalan independence referendum” which “precipitated a crackdown by Spain that put hopes for an independent Catalonia on ice for the foreseeable future”.
The prize will which will announced via live video from the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Oslo, Norway, on Friday, and the selection process is a closely guarded secret with the nominees being considered not made public.
This year, there are 331 nominees for the prize, of which 216 are individuals and 115 are groups, according to the Nobel committee. It’s the second-highest number of candidates ever, after the year 2016.
Previous winners include Malala Yousafzai (2014), Barack Obama (2009), Nelson Mandela (1993), and the Dalai Lama (1989)
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