Nechirvan Barzani, the current president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, came into office in June 2019.
The President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is elected directly by the people of Kurdistan. The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Peshmerga.
The President, as established by the Kurdistan Parliament in 2005, is elected every four years and is legally restricted to serving two terms. The President appoints the Prime Minister from the largest bloc in Parliament to form a government. The cabinet is then approved by the Kurdistan Parliament.
The President’s responsibilities include serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Peshmerga forces, ratifying all laws approved by the Kurdistan Parliament and approving political appointments made by the KRI’s Prime Minister. The President of the KRI has the authority to veto legislation only once, and, even then, legislation is merely sent back for continued debate and possible amendment.
President Nechirvan Barzani
| 1966 | Born in Barzan |
| 1989 | Elected to the leadership of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) |
| 1996 | Appointed as the Deputy PM of the KRG |
| 1999-2009 | Served as the PM in two successive cabinets |
| 2010 | Elected as Vice President of the KDP |
| 2012 | Formed the 7th cabinet of the KRG |
| 2014 | Formed the 8th cabinet of the KRG |
| 2019 | Elected as the President by the Kurdistan Parliament |
