Syria's de facto ruler admitted on Sunday that it could take up to four years to hold elections in the war-torn country, even though a March 1 deadline had been set for the interim government's tenure.
In an interview with Al-Arabiya, Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, stated the delayed balloting was essential for the nation's inhabitants to engage in political mediation, rewrite the constitution, conduct a population census, and rebuild infrastructure damaged by 13 years of civil war.
“The chance we have today doesn’t come every 5 or 10 years,” al-Sharaa explained to the Saudi Arabian state-owned television station. “The process of writing the constitution may take about three years, and we look forward to a constitution that lasts for the longest possible period. This is a difficult and lengthy task.”
The comments marked the first time a representative from the rebel faction that toppled Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship on December 8 disclosed any plans for future electoral arrangements.
Al-Sharaa also indicated that the Islamist militia he commands would disband following an upcoming national dialogue conference. On December 24, officials in Damascus announced an agreement to unify the territory’s insurgent groups under a single defense ministry.
Last week, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, Barbara Leaf, held a meeting with al-Sharaa, which she described as "good and productive."
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