12 members of Syria’s SNC quit over Hitto’s election

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Soheir AtassiAt least 12 key members of Syria’s National Coalition (SNC) said Wednesday they had suspended their membership in the main opposition body amid a row over the deeply divisive election of the first rebel prime minister.

The group of 12 included the Coalition’s deputy Soheir Atassi and spokesman Walid al-Bunni.

Their decision came amid bitter disagreement over the election of Ghassan al-Hitto as the first opposition premier.

Other members who said they had “frozen” their membership in the Coalition included Kamal Labwani, Marwan Hajj Rifai, Yehia al-Kurdi and Ahmad al-Assi Jarba, with sources saying more such announcements were expected.

Though the dissenting members said they had different reasons for their decisions, some expressed their opposition to Hitto’s election, and the process by which he was chosen.

“The Coalition is a non-elected body, and as such it does not have a right to choose a prime minister on a majority vote. There should have been consensus,” Labwani told AFP.

Hitto was elected Tuesday by 35 of approximately 50 Coalition members present in Istanbul, after some 14 hours of consultation. Some members who opposed his election walked out before the vote.

“We Coalition members weren’t elected to represent the Syrians. So the only person Hitto represents is the 35 Coalition members who voted for him. This government is a gift to (President) Bashar al-Assad’s regime,” Labwani said.

“The key issue is the timing and way in which the voting took place. The Coalition pushed for a majority in a group that was not elected,” Bunni told AFP.

“Each of us had different reasons for freezing our membership. We will release a statement that represents us all in the coming days,” Bunni added.

Atassi announced her decision on her Facebook page: “Because I am a Syrian citizen, I refuse to blindly follow and to be an accessory. I announce I am freezing my membership in the National Coalition.”

Atassi could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

A secular female activist, she was praised for her key role in the Coalition when the group was formed in Doha in November, amid concerns the opposition was dominated by men and Islamists.

Hitto, a former IT executive who has lived in the United States for decades, is expected to name a technocratic government that will move inside Syria, attempting to bring rule of law and basic services to large swathes of rebel-held territory.

Other Coalition members sought to downplay the differences.

Mustafa Nawaf Ali, a member based in the Syrian city of Raqa, described them as “part of the democratic process”.

“Imagine if there were differences of opinion over an Assad-appointed prime minister. Dissidents wouldn’t survive,” he said.

Salem al-Moslet, a Coalition member and contender for the prime minister’s post, said he was concerned about what such differences would mean for the formal opposition’s future.

“There are many pressures on the Coalition. I have hope we will move forward,” Moslet said.

But after the election of a prime minister, “it is heartbreaking to watch this happen,” he added.

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8 responses to “12 members of Syria’s SNC quit over Hitto’s election”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    COME ON PEOPLE. You need to start somewhere. And WHERE has ‘consensus’ been anyway???
    One vote … one election … it’s not the last one you’ll ever make … unless the despots ‘win’. Pulling out support may allow that to happen … THINK !

    1. Im sorry 5th but your just not getting it…its not about democracy…its not about the people….it is what it is…its a game……this war is what they the west want…just like in lebanon…now its syrias turn…i gave it 5 years…we are going on 3 now….all to benefit israel so that israel can say look they cant get along thats why we need to have a pure jewish state…eventually it will end in 2 ways…assad may stay of course there will be payback but people will eventually forget because there will be so much work for the next 5 years rebuilding……or assad goes and then the real cleansing will start against the minorities and inhouse power struggles eventually to israels interests causing the break up of syria along sectarian lines into little pieces hence making israel feel safer because in the process it will weaken the axis between hzb and iran….

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        The ‘game’ dateam … yes … and some games are played in Lebanon too. This from ‘The Star’ … on a hell of a night happening in Tripoli.

        ‘Moderates no longer stand a chance in Lebanon because all political leaders have an interest in maintaining strife in the country, according to National Bloc leader Carlos Edde, a staunch defender of single-member parliamentary districts.
        “Unfortunately, political leaders have an interest in maintaining strife in the country because when they run for the elections they have nothing to offer the people expect hatred and fear. This is their way of mobilizing voters,” Edde told The Daily Star in an interview at his Beirut residence.
        “You also have the clergy, who do not want to give up their powers for the sake of a civil society. … All these groups have incited so much hatred that moderates are no longer to reach the hearts of the people.”
        Edde, a two-time runner-up in parliamentary elections, said that none of the electoral proposals put forward by different political groups sought to bring about constructive change.

        “I think all people eventually want the same basic things. They want comfort, security, dignity and a steady job with a steady income. … Islamists will eventually have to confront certain realities of job markets and economies and social reforms,” he added.
        “Islamists will eventfully have to accommodate their point of view to reality or else they will be thrown out.”’

  2. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    COME ON PEOPLE. You need to start somewhere. And WHERE has ‘consensus’ been anyway???
    One vote … one election … it’s not the last one you’ll ever make … unless the despots ‘win’. Pulling out support may allow that to happen … THINK !

    1. Im sorry 5th but your just not getting it…its not about democracy…its not about the people….it is what it is…its a game……this war is what they the west want…just like in lebanon…now its syrias turn…i gave it 5 years…we are going on 3 now….all to benefit israel so that israel can say look they cant get along thats why we need to have a pure jewish state…eventually it will end in 2 ways…assad may stay of course there will be payback but people will eventually forget because there will be so much work for the next 5 years rebuilding……or assad goes and then the real cleansing will start against the minorities and inhouse power struggles eventually to israels interests causing the break up of syria along sectarian lines into little pieces hence making israel feel safer because in the process it will weaken the axis between hzb and iran….

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        The ‘game’ dateam … yes … and some games are played in Lebanon too. This from ‘The Star’ … on a hell of a night happening in Tripoli.

        ‘Moderates no longer stand a chance in Lebanon because all political leaders have an interest in maintaining strife in the country, according to National Bloc leader Carlos Edde, a staunch defender of single-member parliamentary districts.
        “Unfortunately, political leaders have an interest in maintaining strife in the country because when they run for the elections they have nothing to offer the people expect hatred and fear. This is their way of mobilizing voters,” Edde told The Daily Star in an interview at his Beirut residence.
        “You also have the clergy, who do not want to give up their powers for the sake of a civil society. … All these groups have incited so much hatred that moderates are no longer to reach the hearts of the people.”
        Edde, a two-time runner-up in parliamentary elections, said that none of the electoral proposals put forward by different political groups sought to bring about constructive change.

        I think all people eventually want the same basic things. They want comfort, security, dignity and a steady job with a steady income. … Islamists will eventually have to confront certain realities of job markets and economies and social reforms,” he added.
        “Islamists will eventfully have to accommodate their point of view to reality or else they will be thrown out.”’

  3. Persistent Avatar
    Persistent

    The so called opposition can’t agree on much of anything let alone run a country….they will feud among themselves for a long time. The world does not take them seriously and lukewarm to the idea of supporting them except for the monarchies. This translates into assurances for the regime.

  4. Persistent Avatar
    Persistent

    The so called opposition can’t agree on much of anything let alone run a country….they will feud among themselves for a long time. The world does not take them seriously and lukewarm to the idea of supporting them except for the monarchies. This translates into assurances for the regime.

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