Holding its 9th General Assembly meeting in Istanbul, the so-called National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces (SNC) elected Ahmad Tomeh on Saturday to form the interim government.

Holding its 9th General Assembly meeting in Istanbul, the so-called National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces (SNC) elected Ahmad Tomeh on Saturday to form the interim government.

Tomeh, 48, who ran unopposed, was said to be a consensus candidate accepted by a secular-leaning coalition within the group and the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.

He replaces Ghassan Hitto, a Syrian-American businessman who failed to name a cabinet and resigned in July, reportedly after one of the coalition’s principal supporters, Saudi Arabia, signaled its displeasure with him, another evidence of the foreign agenda the SNC is meant to fulfill.

With its shifting constellation of leaders, the opposition coalition has cemented a reputation for infighting, and many Syrians disparage it as an exile movement beholden to the agendas of its foreign supporters. While the group has gained international recognition, its leaders complain that it receives insufficient support.

Tomeh addressed coalition members as "comrades on the path to freedom," and indicated that the SNC would not compromise on a deal that could keep Assad in power.

A dentist originally from Deir al-Zor, Tomeh is a former political prisoner  who got 75 votes out of 97 cast in a coalition ballot in Istanbul. He is expected to choose a cabinet of 13 ministers in a deal reached after two days of talks.