The leader of the new Syria, Ahmed al Shara, presented this Sunday for the first time his roadmap for the transition in the Arab country, just three weeks after the fall of Bashar el Assad’s regime. Al Shara, formerly known as Abu Mohamed al Julani, has announced that the next elections will not take place in the country for another four years. Also, that the time period to draft and approve the new Constitution will be about three years. This is a longer period than initially expected. Currently, the country is led by an interim government appointed by Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), the Islamist militia that led the lightning offensive that overthrew the dictatorship of the El Assad clan, 53 years after it came to power.
These announcements occurred during a long interview that Al Shara gave to the Emirati television channel Al Arabiya and in which he addressed some of the most burning political issues, including the relationship with several regional powers in the Middle East. The former jihadist affiliation of Al Shara – until 2017, its militia served as the local branch of Al Qaeda – has raised suspicions in a part of Syrian society about the possibility that they intend to establish a dictatorship based on a rigorous vision of Islam.
“I do not consider myself the liberator of Syria, all those who made sacrifices contributed to the liberation,” the politician stated. Since his arrival in Damascus, where he moved from his fiefdom of Idlib, he has promised that he will not monopolize power and that he will respect the rights of minorities. Along these lines, he has announced that HTS will dissolve during the announced Conference for National Dialogue, scheduled for about three months. This body, in which the main factions of the country must be represented, will be responsible for appointing a transitional government with a mandate until the next elections are held.
The long duration of the transition period has sparked lively debate on social media in Syria. Al Shara has justified this by arguing that the reconstruction of the political and social fabric will require time, stressing that before holding elections a new census must be carried out. Regarding improving public services in a country with four hours of electricity a day – the priority for most Syrians – he has promised that there will be palpable progress within a year.
“The four-year period seems reasonable to me, as long as the transitional government is sufficiently plural, open to criticism, and respects human rights,” says Ammar Abdulhamid, a political analyst who has taken refuge in the United States. According to Abdulhamid, an editorial Rushing of the Constitution could lead to the polarization of society and undermine efforts to stabilize the country, with an economy badly damaged as a result of more than 13 years of war and a harsh sanctions regime. In fact, Al Shara has expressed its desire for Donald Trump’s US Administration to lift these sanctions.
When asked about foreign policy, the leader has used a conciliatory tone with respect to all the powers present in the region, including Russia and Iran, which for years were key pillars for supporting the Assad regime. The HTS leader has stated that Damascus and Moscow have common interests, and that a hasty dismantlement of Russian military bases would not be positive. The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, also referred to this issue this Sunday: “It is not only a question of maintaining the bases, but under what conditions they operate,” said Lavrov, who has admitted the right of the new authorities to renegotiate the status of the Tartus and Khmeimim bases, which are essential for Russia to project its influence not only in the Middle East, but also on the African continent.
