Barham Salih
| Doctor Barham Salih MP |
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|---|---|
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| 2nd Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 September 2009 |
|
| President | Massoud Barzani |
| Deputy | Imad Ahmad Sayfour |
| Preceded by | Nechervan Idris Barzani |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq | |
| In office 22 April 2006 – 20 August 2009[1] |
|
| President | Jalal Talebani |
| Prime Minister | Nouri al-Maliki |
| Preceded by | Rowsch Shaways |
| Succeeded by | Rowsch Shaways |
| Interim Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq | |
| In office 28 June 2004 – 3 May 2005 |
|
| President | Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer |
| Prime Minister | Iyad Allawi |
| Preceded by | Coalition Provisional Authority |
| Succeeded by | Rowsch Shaways |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 September 1960 Sulaymaniyah, Iraq |
| Nationality | Kurdish |
| Political party | Patriotic Union of Kurdistan |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Sarbagh Salih (women’s rights activist)[2] |
| Residence | Arbil |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Website | www.barhamsalih.net |
Barham Ahmad Salih (Kurdish: بهرههم ئهحمهد ساڵح; Arabic: برهم أحمد صالح; born 1960) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician. He is currently the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He is married and has a daughter who attended Princeton University and a son who graduated from King's Academy in Madaba, Jordan and currently attends Columbia.
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[edit] Early life
Dr. Barham Salih was born in 1960 in the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan. He was arrested in 1979 by the Baathist regime twice on charges of involvement in the Kurdish national movement and spent 43 days in detention in a Special Investigation Commission prison in Kirkuk where he was tortured.[3] His release is a source of speculation since politically active Kurds were particularly targeted for summary execution. Once release he finished high school honors and was ranked the first in Kurdistan and the third in Iraq with a grade of 96.5%. He left Iraq for the United Kingdom because of continuous persecution.
[edit] Career at the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Salih joined the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in late 1976 where he became a member of the PUK department of Europe, and was in charge of PUK foreign relations in London. In addition to the political struggle, he finished his university studies and received a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering and Construction from the Cardiff University in 1983. He continued to study and obtained a Doctorate degree in Statistics and Computer Applications in Engineering from the University of Liverpool in 1987.
He was elected a member of the PUK leadership at the first party conference when Iraqi Kurdistan was liberated from the Ba'ath Party following the first Gulf War. He was assigned the task of heading the PUK Office in the United States.
After the fall of the Baathist regime, he became Deputy Prime Minister in the Interim Iraqi Government (in mid-2004), Minister of Planning in the Transitional Government (in 2005), and Deputy Prime Minister in the elected Iraqi Government (Nouri al-Maliki’s Cabinet) in charge of the economic portfolio and Head of the Economic Committee. Representing the Iraqi Government, he launched the International Compact with Iraq – an initiative of mutual commitment between Iraq and the international community to help Iraq in meeting its obligations of “building a prosperous, democratic and federal country, in peace with itself and with the region and the world”.
In the Iraqi Kurdistan legislative election, 2009 he headed the Kurdistani List which won 59 of 111 seats. He succeeded Nechervan Idris Barzani as the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Salih appeared on The Colbert Report on June 10, 2009, broadcast from Baghdad, and was interviewed by the host. He praised the U.S. military for freeing Iraq, and acknowledged that many Kurds desire independence.
[edit] Political career
- Prime Minister of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan region of Iraqi Kurdistan (January 21, 2001 - July 4, 2004) [4]
- Deputy Prime Minister of the Iraqi Interim Government
- Minister for Planning and Coordination in the Iraqi Transitional Government
- Deputy Prime Minister in the Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki from 2006 until 2009
- Leader of Kurdistan List in 2009 Kurdistan regional election[5]
- Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Government of Iraq (2009–present)
[edit] References
- ^ "Dabbagh: Iraqi PM approves resignation of Barham Salih". Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. 04-10-2009. http://pukmedia.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12883&Itemid=53. Retrieved 20-08-2009.
- ^ "Dr. BARHAM SALIH,Deputy prime minister, Republic of Iraq". http://www.brookings.edu.+10-07-2009. http://www.brookings.edu/comm/events/20060913Salih_bio.pdf.
- ^ http://www.barhamsalih.net/pages/16
- ^ http://rulers.org/ruli.html#iraq
- ^ NPR: 'Change' Party Rallies Ahead Of Kurdistan Election
[edit] External links
- Dr. Barham Salih's official website
- Dr. Barham Salih on Facebook
- Dr. Barham Salih on Twitter
- Dr. Barham Salih on YouTube
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kosrat Rasul Ali |
Prime Minister of PUK-controlled Kurdistan January 2001 – July 2004 |
Succeeded by Omer Fattah Hussain (acting) |
| Preceded by none |
Deputy Prime Minister for National Security June 2004 – May 2005 |
Succeeded by Ahmed Chalabi Ruz Nuri Shawis Abid Mutlak al-Jubouri |
| Preceded by Mahdi al-Hafez |
Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation May 2005 – May 2006 |
Succeeded by Ali Baban |
| Preceded by Ahmed Chalabi Ruz Nuri Shawis Abid Mutlak al-Jubouri |
Deputy Prime Minister for National Security May 2006 – August 2009 |
Succeeded by Rafi al-Issawi |
| Preceded by Nechervan Idris Barzani |
Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan August 2009– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
