Barham Salih
| Barham Salih | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 8th President of Iraq | |
|
Assumed office 2 October 2018 | |
| Prime Minister |
Haider al-Abadi Adil Abdul-Mahdi (designate) |
| Preceded by | Fuad Masum |
| 2nd Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan | |
|
In office 28 October 2009 – 5 April 2012 | |
| President | Masoud Barzani |
| Deputy | Imad Ahmad Sayfour |
| Preceded by | Nechervan Barzani |
| Succeeded by | Nechervan Barzani |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq | |
|
In office 20 May 2006[1] – 20 August 2009[2] Serving with Salam al-Zaubai,[3] Rafi al-Issawi[4] | |
| President | Jalal Talabani |
| Prime Minister | Nouri al-Maliki |
| Preceded by | Rowsch Shaways |
| Succeeded by | Rowsch Shaways |
|
In office 28 June 2004 – 3 May 2005 | |
| President | Saddam Hussein |
| Prime Minister | Iyad Allawi |
| Preceded by | Coalition Provisional Authority |
| Succeeded by | Rowsch Shaways |
| 3rd Prime Minister of Kurdistan (PUK) | |
|
In office 21 January 2001 – 4 July 2004 | |
| President | Jalal Talabani |
| Preceded by | Kosrat Rasul Ali |
| Succeeded by | Omar Fattah Hussein (acting) |
| Chair of Board of Trustees at The American University of Iraq, Sulaimani | |
|
In office 2007–2017 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jill Derby |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Barham Ahmed Salih 12 September 1960 Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan |
| Nationality | Iraqi |
| Political party | Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (1976–2017, from 2018) |
| Other political affiliations | Coalition for Democracy and Justice (2017–2018) |
| Spouse(s) | Sarbagh Salih |
| Residence | Radwaniyah Palace, Baghdad, Iraq |
| Alma mater |
Cardiff University University of Liverpool |
| Website | www.barhamsalih.net |
Barham Ahmed Salih (Kurdish: بەرھەم ئەحمەد ساڵح; Arabic: برهم أحمد صالح; born 12 September 1960) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who serves as the 8th President of Iraq.[5] He is the former prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan and a former deputy prime minister of the Iraqi federal government.
Early life
Barham Salih was born in 1960 in the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq. He was arrested in 1979 by the Baathist regime twice on charges of involvement in the Kurdish national movement by taking some photos of protestors in Sulaimaniya city and spent 43 days in detention in a Special Investigation Commission prison in Kirkuk where he was tortured.[6] Once released, he finished high school and left Iraq for the United Kingdom to flee continuous persecution.[6]
Barham Salih is married to Sarbagh Salih, the head and founding member of the Kurdish Botanical Foundation and a women's rights activist.[7] The couple have two children.[8]
Political career
Deputy Secretary General of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Barham Salih joined the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in late 1976 where he became a member of the PUK department of Europe, and was in charge of PUK foreign relations in London. In addition to the political struggle, he finished his university studies and received a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering and Construction from the Cardiff University in 1983. He continued to study and obtained a Doctorate degree in Statistics and Computer Applications in Engineering from the University of Liverpool in 1987.
He was elected a member of the PUK leadership at the first party conference when Iraqi Kurdistan was liberated from the Ba'ath Party following the first Gulf War. He was assigned the task of heading the PUK Office in the United States.
After the fall of the Baathist regime, he became Deputy Prime Minister in the Interim Iraqi Government (in mid-2004), Minister of Planning in the Transitional Government (in 2005), and Deputy Prime Minister in the elected Iraqi Government (Nouri al-Maliki’s Cabinet) in charge of the economic portfolio and Head of the Economic Committee. Representing the Iraqi Government, he launched the International Compact with Iraq – an initiative of mutual commitment between Iraq and the international community to help Iraq in meeting its obligations of “building a prosperous, democratic and federal country, in peace with itself and with the region and the world”.
Salih appeared on The Colbert Report on 10 June 2009, broadcast from Baghdad, and was interviewed by the host. He praised the U.S. military for freeing Iraq, and acknowledged that many Kurds desire independence.
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government
Barham Salih spearheaded the Kurdistani List in the Iraqi Kurdistan legislative election, 2009. The list won 59 of 111 seats. He succeeded Nechervan Idris Barzani as the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government. His term was marked by a turbulence time with the rise of an opposition (Movement for Change) to challenge the government while his own party was scrambling to stay together after losing the stronghold city of Sulaymaniyah. He survived the first motion of no confidence in Iraqi Kurdistan following the 2011 Kurdish protests in Iraq. He signed the first major oil contract with Exxon Mobil after drafting and amending a new oil law.[9] He relinquished the post of Prime Minister to Nechervan Idris Barzani on 5 April 2012 as part of a political agreement between the ruling KDP–PUK coalition.[10]
Move to opposition
In September 2017, Salih announced that he was leaving the PUK and forming a new opposition party, the Coalition for Democracy and Justice, to compete in the forthcoming Iraqi Kurdistan elections. Following the death of PUK leader Jalal Talabani and the Kurdish opposition leader Nawshirwan Mustafa, the alliance was seen to have the potential to change the Kurdish political landscape. He said he hoped to gather all the other opposition parties, including Gorran and Komal, to challenge the governing KDP–PUK alliance.[11]
President of Iraq
On 2 October 2018, Barham Salih was elected as 8th President of Iraq.[12] He received 219 votes and defeated Fuad Hussein who secured 22 votes.[13]
Criticism
On 19 September 2018, the announcement that Barham Salih will be the PUK’s candidate for the post of Iraqi president was greeted with anger by many on social media while others expressed hope that his international reputation and experience would bring a steady hand to tumultuous Baghdad. Some took to the social media platform to call Salih out for perceived opportunism, noting he had just recently been campaigning against PUK and KDP corruption.[14][15][16]
References
- ↑ The CIA World Factbook 2010, Book 2010. CIA. 2010. p. 331. ISBN 9781602397279.
- ↑ "Dabbagh: Iraqi PM approves resignation of Barham Salih". Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. 10 April 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
- ↑ "Who's who in Iraq's new cabinet". BBC. 20 May 2006.
- ↑ Katzman, Kenneth (2009). Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security. Diane Publishing Co. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-4379-1944-8.
- ↑ "Iraq elects Kurdish Barham Salih as president". The National. 2 October 2018.
- 1 2 "Barham Salih: Biography and Profile". 2009. Archived from the original on 20 November 2009.
- ↑ "Dr. Barham Salih, Deputy prime minister, Republic of Iraq" (PDF). Brookings Institution. 13 September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2007.
- ↑ من هو الرئيس العراقي الجديد [Who is the new Iraqi president?]. Al Sumaria TV (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 4 October 2018.
- ↑ "Iraqi Kurdistan confirms Exxon oil deal-minister". Reuters. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ↑ Razzouk, Nayla (5 March 2012). "Nechirvan Barzani to Take Over as Iraq Kurd Premier on March 7". Bloomberg.
- ↑ Rasheed, Honar Hama. "Kurdish Political Heavyweight Announces Plan To Shake Up Local Voters". Niqash. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ↑ "New Iraq President Barham Saleh names Adel Abdul Mahdi as PM". BBC. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ↑ "Moderate Saleh wins Iraq presidency". The Australian. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ↑ By Rudaw. "Twittersphere reacts with anger, hope, humour to Barham Salih news". Rudaw.
- ↑ John J. Catherine. "Barham Salih holds talks to rejoin PUK before Kurdistan election". Kurdistan24.
- ↑ Corporation, Nalia. "CDJ to continue political, civil work after departure of Barham Salih". www.nrttv.com.
External links
- Dr. Barham Salih's official website
- Dr. Barham Salih on Facebook
- Dr. Barham Salih on Twitter
- Dr. Barham Salih on YouTube
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kosrat Rasul Ali |
Prime Minister of PUK-controlled Kurdistan January 2001 – July 2004 |
Succeeded by Omer Fattah Hussain (acting) |
| Preceded by none |
Deputy Prime Minister for National Security June 2004 – May 2005 |
Succeeded by Ahmed Chalabi Ruz Nuri Shawis Abid Mutlak al-Jubouri |
| Preceded by Mahdi al-Hafez |
Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation May 2005 – May 2006 |
Succeeded by Ali Baban |
| Preceded by Ahmed Chalabi Ruz Nuri Shawis Abid Mutlak al-Jubouri |
Deputy Prime Minister for National Security May 2006 – August 2009 |
Succeeded by Rafi al-Issawi |
| Preceded by Nechervan Idris Barzani |
Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan August 2009– January 2012 |
Succeeded by Nechervan Idris Barzani |
| Preceded by Fuad Masum |
President of Iraq 2018–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| PUK-controlled (1992–2005) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| KDP-controlled (1996–2005) | ||
| Iraqi Kurdistan | ||
| Republic of Iraq (1958–2003) |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coalition Provisional Authority (2003–2004) |
| |||
| Republic of Iraq (since 2004) |
| |||
* interim † military | ||||
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Acting heads of state shown in italics. |
