Fuad Masum

Muhammad Fuad Masum Hurami (; , born 1 July 1938 ) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the president of Iraq from 24 July 2014 to 2 October 2018. He was elected as president following the 2014 parliamentary election. Masum is the second non-Arab president of Iraq, succeeding Jalal Talabani, also Kurdish, and was a confidant of Talabani.

Early life and education Fuad Masum was born in the city of Koya. He is the son of Mullah Masum Khider, a former head of the Association of Muslim Scholars in Kurdistan, who belongs to an established political dynasty with Muslim clerical links. His family descends from the village of Khabanen, which is part of Hawraman. He studied at various religious schools in Iraqi Kurdistan until the age of 18. He studied law and Sharia at Baghdad University. In 1958, Masum traveled to Cairo to complete his higher education at Al-Azhar University. He worked as a professor in Basrah University in 1968.

Kurdistan Democratic Party In 1968, Masum was the PDK representative in Basra. He was also the representative of the Kurdish Revolution in Cairo until 1975. Masum won 211 votes while his closest competitor, Barham Salih, The decision was made during a secret vote of Kurdish MPs, who traditionally have control over the presidency for the sake of political balance. Masum accepted the position, noting the "huge security, political and economic tasks" he faces as president.

On 26 August, Masum appointed a new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi. His appointment was considered illegal by Nouri al-Maliki and in violation of the constitution. Maliki said that in spite of his erosion of power it was his duty to remain in power because the appointment was a conspiracy rooted from outside of Iraq. Al-Maliki referred the matter to the federal court claiming, "the insistence on this until the end is to protect the state." However, on 14 August 2014, in the face of growing calls from world leaders and members of his own party, Maliki announced he was stepping down, paving the way for al-Abadi to take over.

Personal life Masum married to Rounak Abdulwahid Mustafa (1940–2023) in 1968, and has five daughters: Shireen (b. 1970), Juwan (b. 1972), Zozan (b. 1977), Shilan (b. 1979) and Veian (b. 1982). He had a son, Showan (1974–1988), who died from a childhood illness.