Nephew takes office; Kurdish leader leaves

ERBIL: Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani departed office yesterday, leaving his nephew to reconcile with the central government in Baghdad, with regional neighbors and with rival Kurdish parties after a failed referendum on independence. Nechirvan Barzani, who has served alongside his uncle as prime minister, will now be the main authority figure in the executive of the Kurdish autonomous region, following Masoud Barzani’s departure as president, Kurdish officials said. “The prime minister will be the key person during this transitional period,” said Hoshyar Zebari, a former Iraqi foreign minister, now advisor to the Kurdish government and senior member of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

The elder Barzani, a 71-year-old veteran guerrilla leader, had run the Kurdish autonomous region with a firm hand since 2005, during which it prospered while the rest of Iraq was mired in civil war. But he announced his resignation on Sunday, effective on Nov 1, after a Sept 25 referendum on independence backfired, prompting the central government to send troops to recapture territory held by the Kurds outside their autonomous region. The referendum and government backlash have also revealed deep divisions among the Kurds themselves.

During his resignation speech, Masoud Barzani accused his political rivals of “high treason” for yielding territory without a fight. His nephew Nechirvan, 51, who has served as prime minister for all but three years since 2006, is seen in Kurdish politics as a less polarizing figure, having warmer relations than his uncle with rival Kurdish parties. —Reuters