The Syrian transitional president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, waited until he was officially appointed to the presidency through the “selection by military factions” before revealing more about his vision for the next phase. He granted the “democratic vacuum” phase significant time in a country that has suffered from long-term rule by its leaders.
On Monday, transitional Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa stated that the country would need four to five years to organize elections, less than a week after being appointed as the head of the transitional government.
He justified this by saying that Syria requires “a vast infrastructure, which needs to be rebuilt and will take time.”
In his interview, Al-Sharaa promised to issue a law regulating political parties, saying, “Certainly, the constitution will include a law governing political parties.” He added that the system of governance in Syria would be “republican, with a parliament and an executive government.”
The four to five-year period mentioned by Al-Sharaa represents a full presidential term, but it will not be counted against him when he runs in the first presidential elections after the five-year period ends.
This suggests that the timeframe may be sufficient for Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to consolidate control over all aspects of the country and establish party structures aligned with it, effectively serving as a political backing for the transitional president.
On Wednesday, leaders of armed factions appointed Al-Sharaa as president of the transitional phase during the “Syrian Revolution Victory Declaration” conference.
During the conference, the new administration made a series of wide-ranging decisions, including dissolving armed factions, the existing military and security institutions from the previous regime, abolishing the constitution, and dismantling the People’s Assembly and the Ba’ath Party, which had ruled the country for decades.
The coming period will be governed by executive decisions and a temporary legislative body chosen by the president based on the Islamic principle of Shura (consultation), which has been adopted as the guiding framework for this phase—without any public review of decisions.
The constitutional vacuum is viewed with suspicion, especially as Al-Sharaa is signing sovereign agreements, such as a joint defense agreement that includes establishing Turkish airbases in central Syria.
Additionally, the president will have the authority to select the international partners involved in rebuilding the country, with Turkey and Qatar appearing to be the primary beneficiaries of reconstruction contracts, given their direct support for Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in toppling the Bashar al-Assad regime.
During his visit to Ankara, Al-Sharaa announced the transformation of Syria’s relationship with Turkey into a deep strategic partnership in all fields. In a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he affirmed Damascus’ willingness to cooperate with Turkey in reconstruction efforts.
In a previous interview, Al-Sharaa indicated that Qatar had expressed its readiness to make significant investments in various sectors within Syria, including energy and ports. He added, “Qatar has shown a willingness to invest extensively in all areas of Syria.”
