Syria’s de facto leader says elections could take up to four years | Syrian war news

This is the first time that Ahmed Al-Sharaa has commented on an electoral timetable since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad this month.

Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, says it could take up to four years to hold elections in the war-torn country.

This is the first time the new Syrian leader has commented on a possible electoral timetable since opposition fighters, led by the Sharia-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad three weeks ago.

Al-Sharaa told Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Al Arabiya television channel on Sunday that drafting a new constitution could take up to three years.

He said that elections are likely to be held after four years because a new census will be conducted to determine the number of eligible voters in the country. “Any meaningful election will require a comprehensive census,” he said.

Al-Sharaa said the Syrians would likely testify Big changes In their country for about a year. He said that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham – the most dominant military and political force in Syria – would be dissolved at the National Dialogue Conference.

Al-Sharaa’s statements came as the new government in Damascus seeks to reassure its neighbors of peace and stability in the multi-ethnic country.

He told Al Arabiya: “Syria will not be a source of inconvenience to anyone.”

Al-Sharaa said that Syria shares strategic interests with Russia, a close ally and military supporter of Assad during the 15-year-old Syrian war, repeating the conciliatory signals made by his government in the past. He said this month that Syria’s relations with Russia should serve common interests.

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

“It is not only about maintaining our bases or strongholds, but also about the conditions of their operation, maintenance, supply and interaction with the local side,” he said in an interview with RIA News Agency published on Sunday.

Al-Sharaa expressed his hope that the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump would lift the sanctions imposed on Syria.

Senior American diplomats who visited Damascus this month said that Al-Sharaa appeared to be a practical person and that Washington had decided to cancel a $10 million reward for the head of the leader of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham.