Members of Syria’s main Western-backed opposition bloc on Wednesday elected a new president, the Syrian National Coalition said in a statement.
The new head of the exiled opposition, Hadi Al-Bahra, has served as chief negotiator at the failed peace talks with the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in February in Geneva. Bahra, aged 54, succeeds Ahmed Al-Jarba, who has already served two six-month terms—the maximum period allowed by the coalition, which is based in Turkey.
Bahra, an industrial engineer who attended university in the United States, was elected president with 62 votes. His closest rival, Mowafaq Nayrabiyeh, won 41 votes, while Walid al-Omari won just three votes, it added.
Bahra’s profile on the official Syrian National Coalition website reveals that he has a long history as a businessman in Saudi Arabia, serving variously as head of a Jeddah hospital and director of a Saudi-based telecommunications company.
“Bahra utilized his experience in telecommunications to serve the great Syrian revolution where he has contributed to establishing support groups and increasing coordination between the Syrian revolution at home and the media. He has contributed to political and media revolutionary activity,” the profile states.
http://yalibnan.com/2014/07/09/syrian-opposition-bloc-elects-hadi-al-bahra-new-president/