Syria election could take four years, de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa says

Ahmad Shala, the de facto leader of Syria, has stated that the country may need up to four years to hold elections due to the need to rewrite the constitution. In a wide-ranging interview with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Al Arabiya television, he emphasized the importance of maintaining relations with Iran and Russia, and called for the United States to lift sanctions.

Shala indicated that "the election process may take up to four years," explaining that "we need to rewrite the constitution, which may take two to three years." His comments came three weeks after his Islamist rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and its allies overthrew the long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad regime in a lightning offensive.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, adopted in 2015, outlines a roadmap for a political transition in Syria, including the drafting of a new constitution and holding UN-supervised elections. UN envoy Geir Pedersen, who visited this month, said he hoped Syria would "pass a new constitution and hold free and fair elections" after the transition period. Diplomats from the US, Turkey, the EU, and Arab countries, who met in Jordan this month, also called for the formation of an "inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government" through a transparent process.

Shala also said that he hopes the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump will lift sanctions imposed on the war-torn and impoverished country under Assad’s rule. He argued that "sanctions on Syria were issued based on the crimes committed by the regime," and now that Assad has been ousted, "these sanctions should be automatically lifted."

Shala's HTS organization, which traces its roots to al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, is designated as a terrorist organization by many governments, including the US, although the group has recently tried to soften its rhetoric and vowed to protect Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities. He stated that the dissolution of HTS would be announced "during a national dialogue conference," without specifying a date, and emphasized that the dialogue would include all Syrians. He also noted that maintaining relations with Russia and Iran, both key allies of Assad who helped him reclaim territory lost in the 13-year war before the rebel offensive last month, was crucial.

Shala stressed that "Syria cannot continue without relations with an important regional country like Iran, but this relationship must be based on respect for the sovereignty of both countries and non-interference in internal affairs." He added that "Russia is an important country, considered the second most powerful in the world," and pointed out the "deep strategic interests that exist between Russia and Syria." Assad fled to Russia as rebels approached Damascus, and the future of Moscow’s military base in Tartus and its Khmeimim airbase on the Mediterranean coast is also shrouded in uncertainty.

Shala stated that "all Syrian weapons come from Russia, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts... we do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way some people want." He also said that local Kurdish-led forces should be incorporated into the national army, which Turkey opposes. Large swathes of northern and northeastern Syria are controlled by a Kurdish-led administration, whose de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded the defeat of Islamic State militants in Syria in 2019 with US support.

Shala said that "weapons must be in the hands of the state. Anyone who is qualified to join the Ministry of Defense, we welcome them." He also stated that "under these terms and conditions, we will begin a dialogue with the SDF... perhaps a suitable solution can be found." Turkey accuses the SDF's main component, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), of links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) inside its borders, which both Washington and Ankara consider a "terrorist" organization. Shala also stated that the regional power Saudi Arabia "will definitely play an important role in Syria’s future," noting that "there are huge investment opportunities for all neighboring countries."