Syrian opposition coalition elects new leader

The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NCR) on Wednesday elected its new leadership. The coalition press service reported that Hadi Al Bahra was elected in a vote held overnight.
Al Bahra is an independent NCR member. He got engineer education in the United States and acted as the opposition delegation head at the latest peace talks in Geneva. Abdel Hakim Bashar was elected vice president.
On Wednesday, the coalition will continue voting on the candidatures of two more vice presidents, the secretary general and on the NCR political committee members.
The elections of new NCR leadership were held within the framework of the coalition’s three-day meeting in Istanbul in connection with the expiration of powers of Ahmad Al Jarba. He held this post during two six-month terms since last July and under the coalition charter he could not run for the post again.