Wikipedia

Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region (Kurdish: جێگری سەرۆکی وەزیرانی هەرێمی کوردستان) is the deputy head of the government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The deputy prime minister assists the prime minister in overseeing the work of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), coordinates inter-ministerial affairs, and may act on behalf of the Prime Minister in their absence. The position is appointed by the Kurdistan Parliament as part of the KRG cabinet formation process.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region
جێگری سەرۆکی وەزیرانی هەرێمی کوردستان
Coat of arms of the Kurdistan Region
since 18 June 2014
StatusDeputy head of government
Member ofKurdistan Regional Government
SeatErbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
NominatorPrime Minister
AppointerKurdistan Parliament
Term lengthFour years
Constituting instrumentLaw No. 1 (1992)
Formation1996
First holderNechirvan Barzani
WebsiteKRG Deputy Prime Minister

The office was first established in 1996 with the formation of the third cabinet of the KDP-controlled administration. The first deputy prime minister was Nechirvan Barzani, who served from 1996 until his appointment as prime minister in 1999.[1][2]

The current Deputy Prime Minister is Qubad Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), who was first sworn in on 18 June 2014 as part of the eighth KRG cabinet.[3][4] He was re-appointed to the ninth cabinet on 10 July 2019.[5] Talabani is also the head of the PUK's negotiating delegation for forming the next KRG government.

Prior to his role as deputy prime minister, Talabani served as the KRG Representative to the United States from 2006 to 2012,[6][7] where he was instrumental in forming the United States Kurdistan Business Council and launching the Kurdish American Congressional Caucus.

List of deputy prime ministers

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1992-2005

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After the 1992 Kurdistan elections, the PDK and PUK soon started a civil war, which lasted for many years. This resulted in a KDP-controlled government and a PUK-controlled government being established.[8]

PUK-controlled part

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Deputy Prime Ministers of the PUK-controlled Kurdistan Regional Government:[9]

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Took office Left office Political party
1 Adnan Mufti
(born 1949)		 1999 4 June 2005 Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

KDP-controlled part

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Deputy Prime Ministers of the KDP-controlled Kurdistan Regional Government:[10][11][12][13][14]

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Took office Left office Political party
1 Nechirvan Barzani
(born 1966)		 16 September 1996 20 December 1999 Kurdistan Democratic Party
2 Fazel Mirani[a]
(born 1948)		 1997 1999 Kurdistan Democratic Party
3 Sami Abdul Rahman
(1932 – 1 February 2004)		 1999 1 February 2004 (assassinated) Kurdistan Democratic Party

2006–present (Unified Government)

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After the reconciliation between the KDP and PUK, a parliamentary election was held on 30 January 2005, and a unified Kurdistan Regional Government was formed. The position of Deputy Prime Minister continued as part of the unified cabinet structure.[15]

Deputy Prime Ministers of the Kurdistan Regional Government (Unified):[16][17][18][19]

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Took office Left office Political party Prime Minister
1 — Omer Fattah Hussain
(born 1948)		 1 March 2006 24 February 2009 Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Nechirvan Barzani
2 — Imad Ahmad Sayfour
(born 1955)		 6 April 2009 27 October 2009 Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Nechirvan Barzani
3 — Azad Barwari
(born 1946)		 27 October 2009 2012 Kurdistan Democratic Party Barham Salih
4 Qubad Talabani
(born 1977)		 18 June 2014 present Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Nechirvan Barzani (2014–2019)
Masrour Barzani (2019–present)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Fazel Mirani served concurrently with Nechirvan Barzani as Deputy Prime Minister in the third cabinet of the KDP-controlled administration. The KDP zone had multiple Deputy Prime Ministers serving simultaneously.[12]

References

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  1. ↑ "Nechirvan Barzani". Parti Pedia (partipedia.org). 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  2. ↑ "PROFILE - Nechirvan Barzani, new head of Kurdish region". Anadolu (in Turkish). Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  3. ↑ "PUK Names Qubad Talabani Deputy Prime Minister". Rudaw. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "Ministries and Departments". 8th.cabinet.gov.krd. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  5. ↑ Austria, -Author: KRG (2019-07-15). "Kurdistan Regional Government". Kurdistan Regional Government-Iraq Representation in Austria. Retrieved 2026-04-17. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  6. ↑ "KRG officials tell Washington active US engagement is critical". archive.gov.krd. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  7. ↑ "Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq Representative to the U.S. Addresses Rhodes College in Memphis | Al Bawaba". www.albawaba.com. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  8. ↑ "Freedom in the World 2004 - Kurdistan [Iraq]". Refworld. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  9. ↑ "Adnan Mufti (Speaker of Second Term of Kurdistan Parliament)". Kurdistan Parliament – Iraq. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Nechirvan Barzani". Parti Pedia (partipedia.org). 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  11. ↑ "Biography of the Prime Minister". Kurdistan Regional Government. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Fazel Mirani". Partipedia. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Sami Abdulrahman". Parti Pedia (partipedia.org). 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  14. ↑ "Interviews - Dr. Sami Abdul-Rahman | The Survival Of Saddam | FRONTLINE | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  15. ↑ "KRG fifth cabinet sworn in". Rudaw. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)". krg.org. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  17. ↑ Media, Gulan. "Kurdistan Parliament approves new KRG Cabinet; New Prime Minister calls for united front in Baghdad negotiations". Gulan Media. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  18. ↑ "Azad Barwari". Parti Pedia (partipedia.org). 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  19. ↑ Talabani, Qubad. "Profile". www.qubadtalabani.krd. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
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