Nechervan Idris Barzani

Nechirvan Idris Barzani (; born 21 September 1966) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician serving as the second President of the Kurdistan Region. He was elected into office by the Kurdistan Region Parliament in June 2019. Nechirvan Barzani was appointed as Vice President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party since 2010. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government from March 2007 to August 2009 and March 2012 to May 2019. Nechirvan Barzani is also the founder of the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr.

Early years Nechirvan Barzani was born in 1966 in Barzan, Kurdistan Region. The name Nêçîrvan means hunter. Barzani's surname originates from his birthplace of Barzan. He is the son of Idris Barzani and grandson of Mustafa Barzani, the founder of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Education and personal life Nechirvan Barzani studied politics and international relations at the University of Tehran, Iran. He is fluent in Kurdish, Persian, and English. He is married to Nabila Barzani and they have five children: Idris, Cheyavan, Danyal, Ranya and Maya.

Political career Nechirvan Barzani was first elected to the KDP central committee at its tenth Congress in 1989 and re-elected at the 11th Congress in 1993, when he assumed a position in the political bureau. After the 1991 Gulf War, he participated in negotiations with the Iraqi government.

In 1996, Nechirvan Barzani was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region. From September 2009 through January 2012, a Kurdish politician from the ruling KDP–PUK coalition, Barham Salih, assumed office as Prime Minister of the KRG.

Prime Minister (2012–2019) Nechirvan Barzani was re-elected as prime minister in 2012.

President Nechirvan Barzani participates in a flag raising ceremony at an elementary school on Kurdistan Flag Day. (Erbil,17 December 2019)

In 2014, the war against the Islamic State impacted the Kurdistan Region. In addition to defense, the Kurdistan Region also hosted nearly two million displaced people who sought refuge in Kurdistan. Also, with the fall in international oil prices and Iraq's failure to deliver the Region's budget portion, the Region also entered a massive economic crisis.

President of the Kurdistan Region (2019–present)

Nechirvan Barzani takes oath of office to become President of the Kurdistan Region at the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony on 10 June 2019.

On 28 May 2019, out of 81 MPs who participated at the session, Nechirvan Barzani was elected as the President of Kurdistan Region by the votes of 68 MPs. Nechirvan Barzani was inaugurated as President of the Kurdistan Region in June 2019. In his inauguration speech, he stated his duty as President of the Kurdistan Region is to continue strengthening Kurdistan's democratic values and developing the government's political, social and economic policies to improve those sectors as well as education, healthcare, and industry.

He has been recognized for his promotion of the rights of all ethnic and religious groups, continued inter-faith dialogue, and women's rights. For this reason, Nechirvan Barzani received support from ethnic and religious groups in the Kurdistan Region. Barzani established a special office in 2014 devoted to rescuing Yezidi survivors in ISIS terrorist captivity. More than 3,340 Yezidi victims have been liberated with the support of the office.

Awards and honors In 2008, Barzani was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Washington & Jefferson College.