Syria may have to wait another four years for elections

Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has for the first time outlined a timeframe for Syrian elections, setting a four-year deadline to elect a new government in Damascus.

Speaking on Al Arabiya on December 29, current leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said that drafting a new constitution would take three years, and another year for the Syrian people to feel the change. Therefore, it would take four years to hold Syrian elections.

The statement by Mr. Sharaa, head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) armed forces along with allied organizations to overthrow former President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, was made in the context of the interim government in Damascus seeking to reassure neighbors in the new context.

Unrest breaks out in Syria, new government cracks down on 'remnants' of former president's forces

While Western powers welcome the end of the al-Assad regime, Syria's future direction remains unclear.

Mr. Sharaa also said that HTS will be dissolved at the national dialogue conference, and the conference is expected to cover many issues about Syrian society, including the vote to dissolve parliament and the constitution.

Syrians may have to wait up to four years to vote

Regarding the situation in northeastern Syria, Mr. Sharaa said that dialogue is taking place with all parties still involved in the conflict, including the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

"We reject Syria becoming a launching pad for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to carry out attacks on Türkiye," Mr. Sharaa stressed.

With the main component being the Kurdish YPG force, SDF was an ally of the US in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in the period 2014 - 2017. However, Türkiye considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organization considered a terrorist by Ankara, Washington and the EU.

Also in an interview on Al Arabiya, Mr. Sharaa affirmed that Syria shares strategic interests with Russia, which maintains two large military bases in the country.

TASS quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on December 29 as saying that the status of Russian bases in Syria will be the subject of upcoming negotiations with the new government in Damascus.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/syria-co-the-phai-4-nam-nua-moi-to-chuc-bau-cu-18524123010111589.htm