Barzani cousins assume top posts in Iraqi Kurdistan
The new president and prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region have been sworn into office.
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — Iraqi Kurdistan has a new president and prime minister this week as the Barzanis continue to keep it all in the family.
After serving as the Kurdistan Regional Government's prime minister, Nechirvan Barzani was sworn in June 10 as the second president of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. He succeeds his uncle Masoud Barzani, who held the post for 12 years but stepped down in November 2017 after the region's independence referendum backfired, triggering a military offensive from Baghdad.
The KRG presidency is the most powerful position in the region. The post had been vacant in the months since Masoud Barzani stepped down, though he still heads the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
His son, Masrour Barzani — who is Nechirvan's cousin — was elected prime minister June 11, securing 87 votes from the 97 parliament members present out of 111. Some small opposition parties boycotted the session.
