In Bermuda last night there were was support for the awarding of the global honour to the US President.

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown said: "We live in a world that has become increasingly fragmented. Yet, it is also true that all of us as global citizens share a common bond of humanity. President Obama has recognised both those realities. He has taken bold steps to reach out to world leaders and ask them to join with an America that is now committed to engagement, not isolation; to nuclear disarmament by all, and not nuclear weapons for a few. For that outstanding vision and leadership, he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize."

United Bermuda Party leader Kim Swan said: "I was pleasantly surprised that President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize before he has completed his first term of office. But who can argue with how he was able to move the world to a higher plane and navigate through the politics of polarisation with a message of unity, hope and change that made people celebrate their humanity.

"Obama's message of hope did capture the imagination of the entire world and the spirit felt at his inauguration in January 2009 punctuated a candidacy that crossed all racial and ethnic barriers. This award actually raises the bar for him to build on the hope."

Deputy leader of the United Bermuda Party Trevor Moniz said: "My reaction is like everyone else's reaction. It's good news to hear that the positive initiatives that President Obama has started have been recognised but clearly none of them have reached fruition with respect climate change, or a nuclear free world, or peace in the Middle East or Afghanistan. Nothing is anywhere near being achieved. It's almost as if they've given him this as encouragement to carry on. I hope it does encourage him to continue and to succeed."

Amani Flood, who headed the Bermuda4Barack campaign during the presidential election last year, said: "I am thrilled. I think it means for the world that we're starting to have a new criteria for the people that we want to honour. Barack Obama has really inspired people in so many ways and hope is a commodity. Some people are saying he hasn't really done anything and he hasn't had the time. Other people may have done substantially more by putting their hands to the cause, but Barack Obama has inspired the world to think differently and react differently to the same stimulus. He's trying to build bridges and mend fences and reach across the aisle to people who in the past may have been considered persona non grata. It may take time but it's a turning point."