Nechirvan Barzani sworn in as president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Erbil, June 10, 2019. Photo: K24 TV
HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— Nechirvan Barzani was sworn in Monday as Iraqi Kurdistan’s second president, succeeding his uncle and veteran KDP party leader Massoud Barzani whose son Masrour will likely be nominated premier on Tuesday.
On May 6, the Kurdistan Parliament approved legislation that reactivates the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency.
Nechirvan, the 52-year-old deputy leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, was elected as president on May 28, 2019 after seven years as the region’s prime minister.
He is the Kurdish region’s second president after his uncle Massoud, who served in the role from 2005 until he stepped down in 2017 following a controversial independence referendum.
On August 20, 2015 Massoud Barzani’s term as president of Kurdistan has expired but he refused to step down and remains unofficially in office for more than two years despite protests and demonstration against Barzani across Kurdistan region. He also closed the parliament and prevented speaker from entering Erbil.
On Monday, the younger Barzani took his oath of office during a sleek ceremony at Erbil’s Congressional Palace.
In his address, he appealed for better ties with federal authorities in Baghdad, and said his government would also prioritise the well-being of constituents in the region.
A set of speeches followed his swearing-in, with the first slots going to Massoud and then Iraqi President Barham Salih, who hails from the opposing Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK which boycotted Barzani’s election.
Among those in the audience were Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and several foreign consuls, but not Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi.
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi congratulated Barzani on his election as the President of the Kurdistan Region.
Born in northern Iraq in 1966, Barzani spent part of his life in Iran and speaks fluent Kurdish, Farsi and English.
He has had a long political career in the Kurdish region, serving as its vice prime minister, head of government and prime minister since it won autonomy from federal authorities in 1991.
Observers expect the new president will nominate his cousin Masrour and Massoud’s son — the KDP-controlled region’s current national security advisor — to replace him as premier.
The nominee will be announced at 11:00 am (0800 GMT) on Tuesday, according to parliament speaker Vala Fareed.
The premier-designate would then have 30 days to form a government.
The Barzani clan have been routinely accused by critics of amassing huge wealth from oil business for his family instead of serving the population.
The Barzanis control a large number of commercial enterprises in Kurdistan-Iraq, with a gross value of several billion US dollars. The family is routinely accused of corruption and nepotism by Kurdish media as well as international observers.
The New Generation Movement caucus in the Kurdistan parliament said on Saturday that it would not attend the ceremony.
“The current situation in the Kurdistan Region needs more respect for the legitimate institutions and parliament, where is the first source of legislation and monitoring the government. The executive power should obey the parliament. In contrast to all the democratic traditions, the parliament is taken into service of the persons,” the Movement said in a statement, NRT reported.
The New Generation caucus also boycotted the parliamentary session to elect the new president on May 28.
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