The Nobel Peace Prize committee has demoted its chairman, former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjoern Jagland, a first in the history of the century-old award giving body.

Jagland will remain a member of the voting panel and will be replaced by deputy chairman Kaci Kullmann Five, a former leader of Norway's ruling Conservative Party.

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"The committee chooses a leader every year. This year is a new committee. Jagland has been a good leader for six years," Five said.

Jagland's six-year tenure was hounded by several controversies surrounding past individual conferments.

Jagland was highly criticized after awarding the peace prize to newly elected U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009. 

His leadership was again questioned when the prize was given to the European Union in 2012, while he was also heading the European Council. 

Jagland also drew the ire of China when the award went to the jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiabo in 2010.

The panel has denied reports that Jagland's ouster was due to a ramped up pressure from Beijing. 

The China-Norway relations had suffered a huge setback after Liu's awarding in 2010. 

Major economic prospects between the two countries, as well as other engagements that included musicals and cultural performances, were cancelled at the last minute. 

Bilateral trade talks were indefinitely put on hold, a move that international relations experts see as a retaliatory move by Beijing.

Five said she personally does not regret giving the award to Liu, who had been fighting for political reforms and end to communist single-party rule in China.

But for historian and Nobel expert Asle Sveen, Jagland's removal may sound like an apology to China for the prize given to Liu.

"For Beijing, the change of committee chair can be interpreted as a sign that its pressure is paying off," Sveen said.

"This can be interpreted as an attempt by the rightist government [of Norway] to exert more political control over the committee than has been customary."

Aside from Jagland's demotion, the panel also discussed on Tuesday the candidates for this year's prize, following the closing of nominations in February.

The committee has received a near-record 276 nominees for the 2015 prize.

TagsNobel Peace Prize, jagland, Norway, china-norway relations, demotion