UN: The Middle East needs new generation of leaders like Nechirvan Barzani
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, on Tuesday congratulated Nechirvan Barzani on his successful bid in becoming the new President of the autonomous Kurdistan Region.
“He has always been a staunch voice of reason, moderation and progress for the #Kurdish people and #Iraq. The #MiddleEast needs a new generation of leaders like Nechervan #Barzani,” Mladenov said on his Twitter account.
Mladenov previously served as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), from Aug. 2013 until Feb. 2015.
In a dedicated parliamentary session on Tuesday, 68 lawmakers from the Kurdistan Region’s 111-seat legislature voted in favor of Barzani. He is expected to take his oath of office shortly after the Eid al-Fitr holidays.
“The Special Representative for Iraq of the United Nations Secretary-General, Ms. Jeannine Hennis-Plasschaert, offers her congratulations to Mr. Nechirvan Barzani for his election as President of Kurdistan Region. The UN family in Iraq looks forward to working closely with him,” UNAMI said in a statement on Tuesday.
Nechirvan Barzani is the deputy head of the leading Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). During the Sept. 30 parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region, the KDP increased its number of seats to 45, with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) winning 21 seats, and Gorran (Change) Movement securing 12.
Born in 1966, Barzani was elected as the deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region in 1996. He was elected as Prime Minister in 1999 and 2006. He continued serving after subsequently being re-elected to the post in 2011 and 2013, until May 28, 2019.
Editing by Nadia Riva
