Syria's de Facto Leader Says Holding Elections Could Take up to Four Years

Holding elections in Syria could take up to four years, Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview with Al Arabiya on Sunday, the first time he has commented on a possible timetable for elections since Bashar al-Assad was ousted this month.

Drafting a new constitution could take up to three years, Sharaa said in excerpts from the interview with the Saudi state-owned broadcaster. He also said it would take about a year for Syrians to see drastic changes.

Sharaa leads the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that ousted Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, ending decades of Assad family rule and a 13-year civil war. He said HTS will be dissolved in a national dialog conference.

On foreign ties, Sharaa said Syria has strategic interests with Russia. Russia has military bases in Syria, was a close Assad ally during the long civil war and has granted Assad asylum.

Sharaa said earlier this month that Syria's relations with Russia should serve common interests.

Sharaa also said he hopes the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will lift sanctions imposed on Syria. Senior U.S. diplomats who visited Damascus this month said Sharaa came across as pragmatic and that Washington has decided to remove a $10 million bounty on the HTS leader's head.