Syria's Future: Election Timetable and Strategic Alliances

Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's de facto leader, discusses the timeline for Syria's elections and a new constitution. He outlines potential foreign policy shifts with Russia and hopes for improved U.S. relations under Donald Trump's administration, aiming to dissolve HTS and lift sanctions.

In a groundbreaking interview with Al Arabiya, Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa disclosed that holding elections in the country could require up to four years. This marks the first time Sharaa has publicly offered a timeframe for elections since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

Sharaa revealed that drafting a new constitution might take an additional three years, citing excerpts from his interview with the Saudi state-owned broadcaster. As leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which ended the Assad family's decades-long rule on December 8, Sharaa aims to dissolve the group during a national dialogue conference.

On the international front, Sharaa highlighted Syria's strategic engagements with Russia, a nation with military bases in Syria and a long-time ally of Assad. Additionally, Sharaa expressed hope for the incoming U.S. Trump administration to lift sanctions on Syria, an outlook shared by senior U.S. diplomats who recently visited Damascus.

(With inputs from agencies.)