Who is Masoud Barzani?
Masoud Barzani, born in 1946, was elected President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq by the Kurdistan National Assembly in June 2005, serving until November 2017. He stepped down following the unsuccessful independence referendum for the region.
Currently, he leads the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Throughout his political career, he played a key role in securing recognition for the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) after Saddam Hussein’s downfall. However, he has been widely criticized for his role in the Kurdish civil war against the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Many Kurds perceive him as having an authoritarian approach and an inflated ego, influencing his leadership style and decision-making.
Member of the Syndicate of Kurdistan Journalists with 7+ years in local and international press. Editor, translator, and activist, dedicated to exposing corruption and human rights violations in Kurdistan.