Syrian elections may not be held for 4 years, says de facto leader

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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said it could take four years for the country to hold its first elections after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

In his first comments on the possible timeline for the key stages of the country’s political transition, Share it said “any fair elections will require a full census”.

Drafting a new constitution could also take three years, said Sharaa, who previously used the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, in an interview with Saudi Arabian broadcasters al-Arabiya and al-Hadath on Sunday.

The longer-than-expected change may affect western governments that have been encouraging Sharaa to create an inclusive system. They are evaluating the lifting of sanctions on the Syrian state and terrorist designations in Sharaa and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist movement that led the lightning rebellion to topple Assad.

Earlier this month, HTS appointed Mohamed al-Bashir as Syria’s interim prime minister.

Bashir, who headed the civil administration in Idlib, a northwestern region that has been under HTS control for years, announced at the time that his cabinet, made up mostly of HTS members which had roles in the current regime of Idlib, form a caretaker government until March next year.

Sharaa also spoke about the main role of HTS in the transitional government, telling reporters that “the current type of recruitment was a platform requirement” and that “the quota system at this time will be you have lost a part-time job”.

Hadi al-Bahra, the head of the Syrian National Coalition – the umbrella group of Assad’s leading opponents during The Syrian civil war – called for all opposition parties to be included in the interim government.

He also placed a 18 month timeline for political reform, including a six-month period for drafting a new constitution.

Sharaa also confirmed that HTS and other armed groups will be it is dissolved in the authorities of the new countryalthough it is not certain whether many groups in Syria will accept his initiative.

The disbandment of HTS will be announced at a National Dialogue Conference of key opposition figures, tribal and religious leaders and other Assad regime officials who did not have military or security roles.

The meeting, whose date has yet to be announced, is also expected to announce the dissolution of the former parliament and the repeal of the original constitution, as well as the creation of an advisory council, organizers told Al Jazeera.

One of the most important parties still outside Sharaa’s sphere of influence is the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which controls much of the country’s northeast. .

Sharaa said on Sunday that the HTS-led administration is negotiating with the SDF about the future status of the area.