Syria rebel leader says new elections could take up to 4 years

Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of the new governing authority in Syria, said in a Sunday interview that it could take up to four years to hold elections in the country.

In an interview with Saudi television network Al-Arabiyya, al-Sharaa said the different political factions will need to rewrite the country’s constitution and the country’s infrastructure will need to be reconstructed.

“The chance we have today doesn’t come every five or 10 years,” al-Sharaa said in the interview. “We want the constitution to last for the longest time possible.”

Al-Sharaa heads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the insurgency to oust then-President Bashar Assad and end his decades-long rule in Syria. He will be the country’s de facto leader until March 1, when the various factions will come together to hold a political dialogue and determine the country’s future.

Al-Sharaa said in the interview that HTS will dissolve at that dialogue and that the various groups will aim to establish a transitional government to bring the country together.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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