A spokesman for Syria's main opposition group says 12 candidates have been nominated for prime minister to run an interim government in the country's rebel-held areas, according to The Associated Press.

Khalid Saleh, a spokesman of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, says the candidates are mostly technocrats and experts in the fields of economy and business.

Saleh told the AP on Sunday, March 17 that the list includes candidates in exile and at least two who live in areas held by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad who are fighting the rebels. Their identities have not been revealed.

Saleh spoke from Istanbul, Turkey, where the opposition is choosing a prime minister. The vote is to be completed on Tuesday.

Two previous attempts at elections were postponed because of divisions within the group.