Syrian opposition leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa said in a radio interview that holding new elections in Syria could take up to four years.
This is the first time he has presented a timetable for possible elections in Syria since his group, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, led a rebel attack that ousted former President Bashar al-Assad.
In an interview with the Saudi Al Arabiya channel on Sunday, he said that drafting a new constitution could take up to three years.
He said it may also be a year before Syrians begin to see significant change and improvements in public services after the overthrow of the Assad regime.
Al-Sharaa said that Syria needs to rebuild its legal system and will have to conduct a comprehensive population census to hold legitimate elections.
Sharia – Formerly known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani He assumed new powers in the country after the fall of Assad’s presidency at the beginning of this month.
Since then, questions have been raised about how HTS governs the multi-ethnic state.
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham began as a jihadist group — embracing violence to achieve its goal of a state governed by Islamic law — but has distanced itself from that past in recent years.
Al-Sharaa said the group, which was once allied with ISIS and al-Qaeda and is designated a terrorist organization by the United Nations and several countries, would be “dissolved” at the upcoming National Dialogue Conference, but did not provide further details.
This gathering may be the first test of the ability of the new Syrian leadership to achieve the promised goal of unifying the country after thirteen years of civil war.
In response to criticism directed at his transitional government, he said that the appointments made were “necessary” and did not aim to exclude anyone.
Syria is home to many ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shiites, and Sunni Arabs, who make up the majority of the Muslim population.
His group promised to protect the rights and freedoms of minorities in the country.
Meanwhile, nearly 300 people were arrested last week in a crackdown on Assad loyalists, according to the UK-based war monitor.
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, said that among the detainees were informants, fighters loyal to the regime, and former soldiers.
He told Agence France-Presse that the arrests were made “in cooperation with local residents.”
The official Syrian news agency SANA also reported arrests this week targeting “members of Assad’s militia,” where weapons and ammunition were seized.
