Internal strife, accusations of cronyism amid Syrian National Coalition elections
ISTANBUL, Turkey (North Press) – The Syrian National Coalition (SNC, a Turkish-backed Syrian opposition coalition) announced on Saturday the election of Naser al-Hariri as its new president, succeeding the outgoing Anas al-Abdah, who was subsequently elected as the president of the Syrian High Negotiations Committee (HNC, the body created to represent the Syrian opposition in the 2016 Geneva talks on Syria).
These changes in positions come a few weeks before the meetings of the Constitutional Committee, a UN-backed assembly aimed at facilitating the creation of a new Syrian Constitution, this coming August.
The HNC witnessed conflict and division; for example, the National Coordination Committee (NCC, an internal opposition political bloc of around a dozen left-wing parties seeking change in Syria) demanded the attendance of new independent members at the meetings, threatening to boycott any meetings or elections unless their demands were met. Representatives from the SNC refused these demands, stating that participation of new independent members should be postponed until after the current elections.
Despite all of this, Anas al-Abdah was elected as the president of the HNC, amid a clear disregard for the committee’s internal conflict. Observers have warned about the consequences and repercussions of this disregard, especially concerning upcoming meetings of the Constitutional Committee.
Exchange of positions, or result of fair elections?
In a virtual press conference held by incumbent al-Hariri in Istanbul, which was attended by a North Press correspondent, al-Hariri stressed that the process is not simply an exchange of positions, but rather an agreed-upon selection of individuals by fair elections.
Al-Hariri also spoke about the political process and confirmed the support of the work of the HNC and the Constitutional Committee, and stressed the need to reach a political solution in accordance with UN Resolution 2254, which calls for a ceasefire and political settlement in Syria.
Observers believe that the true challenge facing the SNC is to “prove that it is a true, legitimate representative of the opposition and the revolutionary forces, and not only a representative of its members.”
The issues within the HNC and the SNC sparked angry reactions among Syrians, who have been waiting for any political solution that would end their more than nine-year suffering. They describe what is happening as “a play whose chapters are written by the Russians, or other international parties, and played by those who are hungry for authority, not for salvation.”
International regime rule
“There is in Syria a revolution against a corrupted regime that was appointed from abroad. Also, the SNC, the HNC and Constitutional Committee are appointed by international intelligence…they are nothing but a decoration, they have nothing to do with the revolution, they do not know when they will meet, and they wait for orders…from abroad,” political analyst Khaled Qamar al-Din told North Press.
During the press conference, al-Hariri claimed that the SNC will work on a balanced and stable relationship with all countries at the regional and international level, saying, “We seek a good relationship with the Arab brothers that restore the relationship to its authenticity and association.”
Representing international interests
Political activist Ahmad al-Ahmad told North Press that “it is apparent that al-Hariri and al-Abdah are among the figures who are able to represent well the interests of regional states, even if [these interests] are at the expense of the interests of the people and the revolution, so their stay in their positions has been prolonged.”
“Consider that most of the areas in Syria, from Eastern Aleppo in 2016 to Saraqeb in 2020, have fallen during the times of al-Abdah and al-Hariri as representatives of the Syrian people. This was not enough [for them] to announce their failure, apologize and resign, but they remained stuck in their positions and the institutions representing the revolution have become such as those representing regime [corruption and cronyism],” he added.
When he was asked about the repercussions of this on the upcoming Constitutional Committee meetings, al-Ahmad said, “They will not do anything, but they will only go to attend and sign, and then they will return to continue on in their positions.”
In June, the meeting of the HNC, which lasted for 3 days, witnessed a postponement of the election of a new president in an attempt to give other communities that did not attend a chance to participate in the meeting via the internet.
On June 17, HNC spokesperson Dr. Yahya al-Aridi confirmed to North Press that Anas al-Abdah won the position of the president of the HNC as a substitute for Naser al-Hariri.
In December 2019, eight members of the Syrian opposition were elected to join the HNC after a special meeting of a group of Syrian opposition figures invited by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh, without al-Hariri or any other members of the HNC, prompting al-Hariri to describe the meeting as “not based on any legal procedure.”
The High Negotiations Committee includes 36 members: eight from the National Coalition, seven from the military groups, four from the Moscow platform, four from the Cairo platform, and five from the National Coordination Committee, and eight independent members.