National Coalition vote No for three nominees by Interim PM

Syria's key opposition National coalition voted No for three nominees of the interim government chairs which was proposed by the PM Ahmad Toumeh yesterday in Istanbul, Zaman Alwasl source said.

The minimum votes to win was 62, the results as following:

-          Mr. Eyad Qudsi as Deputy Prime Minister. Won 71 votes

-         Mr. Asaad Moustafa for Defence. Won 64 votes

-         Mr. Ammar al-Qurabi for Interior. 30 votes- Lose

-         Mr. Othman Bdeiwi for Local Administration. Won 67 votes

-         Mr. Abdul Rahman al-Haj for Education. 59 votes- Lose

-         Mr. Mohamed Jamil Jarran for Health. 47 votes -Lose

-         Mr. Ebrahim Miro for Finance and Economy. Won 72 votes

-         Mr. Elias Wardi for Petrol and Power.  Won 67 votes

-       Mr. Walid al-Zou’bi for Infra Structures, Agriculture and Water resources. Won 63 Votes

-         Mr. Mohamed Yassin Najjar for Telecommunications.  Won 67 votes

-  Mr. Faez al-Ghaher for Justice. Won 65 votes.

- Mis Taghrid al-Hajali for Culture and Family. Won 62 votes

- Mr. Ahmad Toumeh will handle the Foreign Ministry besides priming the cabinet.

Toumeh was elected on September 14 to form the Interim Government. In a speech following his election, Toumeh said: “We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. This government has been formed help us accomplish the goals of the revolution, and it will set the stage for our second independence.”

 In his first interview after he was elected, Toumeh told Reuters that the opposition faced the “ideological challenge” of convincing many who joined Al-Qaeda to leave the group.

“If they refuse, then we will look for all ways to guarantee the security of the people and their livelihood and a dignified living,” Toumeh said.

He said many of the ranks of Al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria did not have a deep attachment to the group, and joined because it provided them with weapons to fight Assad’s forces and helped local communities with bread and basic staples.

“They became susceptible to the idea that religion cannot reign unless there is a religious state. This is not what Islam says,” Toumeh said.

The government then plans to move into northern Syria, despite the risk of air strikes and shelling by Assad's forces.