, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the most likely winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, Norwegian commercial broadcaster TV2 reported Thursday, a day ahead of the widely anticipated announcement.

While Nobel watchers for weeks have been betting the prestigious award would go to a cyber activist who helped bring about the Arab Spring uprising, TV2 reported it had reason to believe that Africa's first democratically elected woman president would be getting the call Friday.

"She is the symbol of the new Africa," said the broadcaster, which in 2009 correctly guessed the surprise win by Barack Obama and last year bet heavily on jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who to Beijing's outrage won the prize.

Sirleaf, whose name had not previously figured high on the list of suspected winners, is running for a second term and will face elections on Monday.

The head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee that attributes the prize, Thorbjoern Jagland, meanwhile would only tell public broadcaster NRK earlier Thursday evening that he believed this year's pick would be "well-received all over the world".

He said the award would be "very powerful , but at the same time very unifying".

While refusing to provide details, he did however play down observers' favourite this year: actors within the Arab Spring uprising.

"There are many other positive developments in the world that we have looked at," he said.

"I think it is a little strange that researchers and others have not seen them," he added.

The Nobel Committee has had more than enough names to choose from this year, with a record 241 individuals and organisations on the top secret list.

Among other names that have been circulating are Sima Samar, an Afghan doctor and women's rights activist, and Russian activist Svetlana Gannushkina and her human rights group Memorial.

The European Union, which has held the peace among old foes on the continent for more than 50 years, has also figured among the most discussed possible winners.

The Nobel Committee will make its announcement at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) Friday.

, http://news.yahoo.com/world-rally-around-2011-peace-prize-pick-nobel-184736990.html

I believe it going to be Anna Hazare