“Appointing an active politician to the Nobel committee would absolutely send the wrong signal about the independence of the committee,” Abid Raja, a Liberal party MP and deputy speaker of the parliament, told the Guardian. “It’s vital for the legitimacy of the Nobel peace price that it’s completely independent from government and parliament. I’m surprised the Progress party is ready to break this tradition.”The Labour party leader, Jonas Gahr Støre, said committee members could not have formal ties to government. “The Progress party has the right to appoint one member, but should definitely find another candidate.”In private, however, many are scandalised that a politician with Hagen’s views could find himself on the peace prize committee. Støre told the Guardian the Nobel peace prize, awarded this year to the anti-nuclear campaign group Ican, was “the world’s most prestigious prize.

Source: The Guardian November 19, 2017 11:32 UTC