Hadi al-Bahra (Arabic: هادي البحرة, romanized: Hādī al-Baḥra; born 1959)[1] is a Syrian politician who is the current president of National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (Syrian National Coalition, SNC), an umbrella Syrian opposition group founded during the Syrian civil war. He held the position of president of the SNC from 9 July 2014[2] to 4 January 2015[3] and again from 12 September 2023.[4]
Hadi al-Bahra | |
|---|---|
هادي البحرة | |
 Al-Bahra in 2013 | |
| President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces | |
| Assumed office 12 September 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Abdurrahman Mustafa |
| Preceded by | Salem al-Meslet |
| In office 9 July 2014 – 4 January 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Ahmad Tu'mah |
| Preceded by | Ahmad Jarba |
| Succeeded by | Khaled Khoja |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1959 (age 65–66) Damascus, Syria |
| Political party | Independent |
| Education | Wichita State University (BS) |
Education
editBorn on the 13th of February 1959 in Damascus, Syria, Al-Bahra holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Wichita State University in the United States.[5]
Career
editPrior to the Syrian Revolution and the outbreak of the civil war, al-Bahra spent much of his adult life in Saudi Arabia. He held the position of Executive Director of Erfan and Bagedo general hospital in Jeddah from 1983 to1989. In the period from 1989 until 2003, he was CEO of Horizon of Commercial development Co, then general manager of Horizon International Exhibitions for the period 2003–2005, a company operating in the free zone in Damascus, Syria and then the CEO of Techno Media from 2005 until 2011. Al-Bahra has extensive experience in communications systems, information technology, interactive display systems, and the organization of conferences and events.[5]
Syrian civil war
editAl-Bahra used his experience in communications technology to support the Syrian opposition, where he contributed to the establishment of support groups to coordinate communication between Syrian activists and the regional and international media, he worked with the opposition inside Syria, contributing to the media, relief activities and the political side of the protests.[6] Al-Bahra joined the SNC in the expansion that took place on 31 May 2013. He was then elected to be the general secretary of the political committee. The coalition chose him to be the chief negotiator of its delegation to the Geneva II Conference on Syria. On July 9 2014, al-Bahra was elected as president in Istanbul, Turkey,[6] with 62 votes, defeating his nearest rival Mouaffaq Nyrabia, who received 41 votes.[7] He held that position until January 2015.[3] From 2019, he was co-chairman of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.[5]
In September 2023, al-Bahra became again president of the coalition. Syria Direct reported that al-Bahra had been elected at the insistence of SNC's Turkish-backed members, particularly Abdurrahman Mustafa, prime minister of the Syrian Interim Government. Syria Direct commented that al-Bahra's election was a sign that the SNC was now operating mostly as a platform for Turkish interests.[8]
In December 2024, after the fall of the Assad regime, al-Bahra called for a political transition in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2554 with an 18-month period to rebuild institutions and restart Syria's economy, including six months to draft a new constitution.[9] He relocated to Damascus at the end of December.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Hadi Al Bahra". National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ "Syrian opposition body elects new president". Reuters. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Syrian opposition bloc appoints new leader". Al Jazeera English. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ "Hadi al-Bahra re-elected". Etilaf english. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ a b c "Who's Who : Hadi al-Bahra". The Syrian Observer. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b Theiler, Mike (9 July 2014). "Syria's Western-backed opposition elects new president". Reuters. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ "Syrian opposition elects Hadi al-Bahra as new leader". Agence France-Presse. Istanbul: Hurriyet Daily News. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ "Hadi al-Bahra: President of a dead institution?". Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Syrian opposition leader says state institutions will be preserved in 18-month transition". Middle East Eye. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Syria's former opposition says it has not been invited to government's planned talks". Reuters. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
External links
edit- The president of the Syrian National Coalition, Hadi al-Bahra, discusses the opposition movement's fight to defeat ISIS and gain liberation from Bashar al-Assad
- فرنسا تهنئ السيد هادي البحرة لانتخابه رئيسا للائتلاف الوطني السوري Archived 2014-07-12 at the Wayback Machine
- كلمة رئيس الائتلاف الوطني السوري هادي البحرة في جامعة الدول العربية Archived 2015-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
- هادي البحرة لـ"الجارديان": التحالف الدولي يركز على "داعش" ويتجاهل تجاوزات النظام Archived 2015-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
- بيان لوزارة الخارجية الأميركية حول انتخاب السيد هادي البحرة رئيساً كواليس جينيف 2 – حوار مع هادي البحرة
- فاجأ رئيس الائتلاف السوري هادي البحرة، اللاجئين السوريين في مخيماتهم في تركيا، بزيارة أضفت على شفاه الأطفال الابتسامة Archived 2015-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Syrian National Council profile