KURDWATCH, June 17, 2012—On June 10, 2012, the Syrian National Council (SNC) elected ʿAbdulbasit Sayda (b. 1956 in ʿAmudah), a founding member of the SNC, as its chairman. The non-partisan Kurd follows Burhan Ghaliun, who gave up the office prematurely in May 2012. Jurj Sabra, who lives in Paris, abstained from running; members of the Muslim Brotherhood had repeatedly protested against the fact that the candidate is Christian.