Syrian opposition to elect new president this week

Published July 6th, 2014 - 02:26 GMT

Ahmad Jarba has served as president of the coalition for a year, the maximum term allowed by the group (File Archive/AFP)

Syria's opposition group will meet this week in Istanbul to elect a new president, according to the Associated Press.

Mustafa Osso, a member of the Western-backed Syrian opposition National Coalition, told AP that coalition members will vote for a new president to replace the current leader, Ahmad Jarba in Istanbul Tuesday.

According to Osso, the top two candidates for the leadership position are senior coalition members Hadi Bahra and Muwaffaq Nairabiyeh. Both are members of Jarba's Democratic bloc.

Jarba is due to step down having already served the maximum two six-month term limit allowed by the coalition.