It may take at least four more years to hold general elections in Syria, according to the country’s de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa. He made this comment in an interview with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned television channel Al-Arabiya on Sunday.
Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the leader of the armed group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s autocratic regime, is now the head of Syria’s new administration. He came to power on December 8 after President Bashar al-Assad fled the country in the face of massive protests by the rebels.
For the first time since Assad’s fall, Al-Sharaa commented on a possible election timeline in the country. In an interview with the Saudi state-owned television channel, he stated that drafting a new constitution for Syria could take up to three years, followed by about another year to bring about widespread changes.
Al-Sharaa, who fought alongside various rebel groups to end decades of Assad family rule and 13 years of civil war in Syria, said, “A national dialogue conference will be convened, and HTS will be dissolved.”
Regarding foreign relations, Ahmed Al-Sharaa stated that Syria has strategic interests with Russia. Russia has military bases in Syria and was a close ally of Assad during the prolonged civil war, even providing him with refuge.
Earlier this month, he mentioned that Syria’s relationship with Russia should work based on mutual interests. He also expressed hope that the Donald Trump-led U.S. administration would lift sanctions imposed on Syria.
Since coming to power, Ahmed Al-Sharaa has welcomed a team of senior U.S. diplomats to Damascus earlier this month. During the visit, they described the HTS leader as pragmatic. Additionally, the U.S. announced the withdrawal of the $10 million bounty it had previously placed on Al-Sharaa’s head.