Elections in Syria Could Take up to 5 Years, De Facto Leader al-Sharaa Says

Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Saudi Arabia on Feb. 2 in his first trip abroad as interim president.

Syria's de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, at the presidential palace ahead of his meeting with Walid Ellafi, Libyan minister of state for communication and political affairs, in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 28, 2024. Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Photo

It will likely take four to five years to hold presidential elections in Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s de facto leader and interim president, has said.

“I estimate that the period will be between four to five years until elections because there is a need for a vast infrastructure,” he said in televised remarks on Feb. 3.