Syria’s leader says holding elections could take four years Syrian War News

This is the first time Ahmed al-Sharaa has commented on the election timeline since longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled this month.

The Syrian leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, says that holding elections in the war-torn country could take four years.

It is the first time the new Syrian leader has commented on the election timetable since opposition fighters, led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad three weeks ago.

The drafting of a new constitution could take three years, al-Sharaa told Saudi Arabian broadcaster Al Arabiya on Sunday.

He said the election could take place after four years because there will be a new count that will determine the number of eligible voters in the country. “Any meaningful election will require a full census,” he said.

Al-Sharaa said the Syrian people will see major changes in their country within a year. He said HTS – the dominant military and political force in Syria – would be disbanded at a national conference for talks.

Al-Sharaa’s comments came at a time when the new government in Damascus wants to assure its neighbors of peace and tranquility in the multi-ethnic country.

“Syria will not be a source of distraction for anyone,” he told Al Arabiya.

Al-Sharaa said Syria shared strategic interests with Russia, which has been a close military supporter of al-Assad during Syria’s 13-year war, repeating signs of reconciliation made by his government in the past. This month, he said Syria’s relationship with Russia should serve mutual interests.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the status of Russian military bases in Syria will be the subject of discussions with the new leadership in Damascus.

“It is not only the maintenance of our bases or fortresses but also the conditions of their operation, maintenance and supply and communication with the local side,” he said in an interview with the Russian news agency RIA released on Sunday.

Al-Sharaa also said that he hopes that the administration of Donald Trump, who has been elected as the President of the United States, will cancel the sanctions imposed on Syria.

Top US diplomats who visited Damascus this month said al-Sharaa had appeared unscrupulous and Washington had decided to put a $10m bounty on the head of the HTS leader.