Nechirvan Barzani was elected as Kurdistan Region president
ARK News: Nechirvan Barzani has been elected president of the Kurdistan Region.
Eighty-one MPs were present in the Region’s 111-seat parliament to cast their vote in Tuesday’s session. Barzani, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) candidate, secured 68 votes.
His four rivals secured zero votes.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which holds 21 seats in the legislature, issued a statement ahead of the session saying the KDP has not adhered to the prior agreements. They would therefore not participate in the vote.
New Generation, meanwhile, boycotted the whole process, arguing the presidency law does not serve democracy or the parliamentary system.
Nechirvan Barzani, nephew of former president Masoud Barzani, will step down as prime minister to assume the role.
In mid-June, the president-elect is expected to ask his cousin, Masrour Barzani, to form the new cabinet.
Who is Nechirvan Idris Mustafa Barzani?
- Born on September 21, 1996 in Haji Omaran
- Displaced to Iran along with his family in 1975
- Student of political science at Tehran University
- Elected member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) politburo in 1989
- Elected deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in 1996
- Elected prime minister of the KRG’s fourth cabinet in 1999
- Elected prime minister of the KRG in 2006 (unified cabinet)
- Elected prime minister of the KRG from 2011 to 2013
- Elected prime minister of the KRG from 2013 to 2018
- Elected deputy president of the KDP during the party’s 13th congress
- Nominated by KDP for the presidency on December 3, 2018
- Married father of five children
Source: Rudaw
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