A Syrian parliamentarian representing the northern province of Aleppo said she has defected to Turkey, becoming the first member of the rubberstamp assembly elected in May and dominated by President Bashar Al AssadÂ’s Baath Party to defect.
“I have crossed to Turkey and defected from this tyrannical regime ... because of the repression and savage torture against a nation demanding the minimum of rights,” Ikhlas Al Badawi told Sky News Arabia.
The authorities chose Badawi, to run for parliament on behalf of the “labourers and peasants” sector, a term for state backed labour and farmers unions who are guaranteed half the seats in the 250 seat assembly.
Badawi, a mother of six, was also a member of the Baath Party, which took power in 1963 military coup that destroyed the countryÂ’s democratic institutions in favour of a Soviet style political system dominated by AssadÂ’s Alawite sect.
| He seemed to do well as a Baath party member. Lived large. Pro'ly got his kids into the best schools. Wonder if any of the rebels will trust him? |
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