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  Santos right pick for Nobel Prize, says Barack Obama

Santos right pick for Nobel Prize, says Barack Obama

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Published : Oct 9, 2016, 6:49 am IST
Updated : Oct 9, 2016, 6:49 am IST

Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama has hailed the courage of this year’s laureate, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, and said the award was well earned.

US President Barack Obama  gestures as he votes in the Presidential election at the Cook County Office Building in Chicago. —AFP
 US President Barack Obama gestures as he votes in the Presidential election at the Cook County Office Building in Chicago. —AFP

Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama has hailed the courage of this year’s laureate, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, and said the award was well earned.

“The Nobel Committee made the right decision in welcoming his tireless efforts to bring a just and lasting peace to Colombia,” Mr Obama said on Friday.

“This award is a testament to President Santos's unwavering, courageous leadership through years of difficult negotiations.”

The Nobel committee raised eyebrows by giving Obama the prize in 2009, just months after he entered the White House.

It surprised again on Friday, giving the award to Mr Santos just days after Colombian voters rejected a peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). “The democratic vote this week is a reminder that there is still work to be done to realize the future for which President Santos and so many citizens are striving,” Mr Obama said.

“But it’s also a sign that the national dialogue Colombia needs is taking place now and is building on the momentum created by four years of difficult negotiations.”

He added, “President Santos and the citizens of Colombia are reshaping their country for the better, and I am pleased the Nobel Committee is recognising their work as they keep pushing toward peace.”

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has cast his ballot for the November 8 general elections, which would elect his successor, by taking benefit of the provision of “early voting” in his home town of Chicago. Early voting, which has gained popularity in the last few election cycle, allows a voter to exercise their right to vote several weeks ahead of the main date of the general elections. Though it varies from State to State, in some cases it can go back to as many as 50 days. He did not tell the press travelling with him, who did he vote for. In fact, he pretended to hide his voting in a basement of the Chicago Board of Elections. Mr Obama is campaigning for Hillary Clinton to succeed him in the Oval Office.

Location: United States, Washington