A British lawmaker says he has nominated former Vice President Joe Biden for the Nobel Peace Prize, about a week after President Donald Trump was also named to be a candidate.
Chris Bryant tells the London Evening Standard that the Democratic presidential nominee has used his words and rhetoric to find solutions while others have proposed violence.
“When others have resorted to violent solutions, he has argued that the best force is the force of argument," Bryant said of Biden. “Because guns can stop a heart but well-placed words can change many hearts, and many hearts can change a world.”
The senior MP announced on Monday -- the day before the first presidential debate -- that he added Biden's name into the running for the prestigious yet sometimes politically controversial award. He said members of Parliament had a little-known right to present people to the Nobel Prize nominating committee.
A Swedish lawmaker nominated Trump in September for the Peace Prize over his efforts in the Middle East. Magnus Jacobsson, a member of Sweden’s Parliament for the Christian Democrats, tweeted that he and Trump “had a good conversation about peace in the Middle East and the Balkans. I wish the president good luck with the peace processes.”
Nobel nominations can be made by national lawmakers, heads of state and certain international institutions.
In 2020, the committee received 318 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize, of which 211 are individuals and 107 are organizations. The 2020 winner will be announced on Oct. 9.
The process of considering candidates and awarding the Nobel Peace Prize is done in Norway, in contrast to the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded in Sweden.
The Associated Press contributed.
