Polls Could Take Up To 4 Years, Syrian Leader

The comment from Sharaa comes as the new government in Damascus has been seeking to reassure its neighbours that it has moved away from its roots in Islamist militancy

Holding elections in Syria could take up to four years, Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said in remarks broadcast on Sunday, the first time he has commented on a possible electoral timetable since Bashar al-Assad was ousted this month.

Drafting a new constitution could take up to three years, Sharaa said in an interview with the Saudi state-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya. He also said it would take about a year for Syrians to see drastic changes.

The comment from Sharaa, who leads the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that ousted Assad on Dec. 8, comes as the new government in Damascus has been seeking to reassure its neighbours that it has moved away from its roots in Islamist militancy.

The group's lightning campaign ended a 13-year civil war but has left a host of questions about the future of a multi-ethnic country where foreign states including Turkey and Russia have strong and potentially competing interests.