Muhammad Fuad Masum (Arabic: محمد فؤاد معصوم هورامي, romanized: Muḥammad Fū’ād Ma‘ṣūm; Kurdish: محەممەد فوئاد مەعسووم, born 1 January 1938) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the seventh president of Iraq from 24 July 2014 to 2 October 2018. He was elected as president following the 2014 parliamentary election.[1] Masum is the second non-Arab president of Iraq, succeeding Jalal Talabani, also Kurdish, and was a confidant of Talabani.
Fuad Masum | |
|---|---|
معصوم هورامي | |
 Masum in 2018 | |
| 7th President of Iraq | |
| In office 24 July 2014 – 2 October 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Nouri al-Maliki Haider al-Abadi |
| Vice President | Khodair al-Khozaei Nouri al-Maliki Osama al-Nujaifi Ayad Alawi |
| Preceded by | Jalal Talabani |
| Succeeded by | Barham Salih |
| Speaker of the Council of Representatives Acting | |
| In office 14 June 2010 – 11 November 2010 | |
| President | Jalal Talabani |
| Preceded by | Ayad al-Samarrai |
| Succeeded by | Osama al-Nujaifi |
| 1st Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region | |
| In office 4 July 1992 – 26 April 1994 | |
| President | Saddam Hussein |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Kosrat Rasul Ali |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Muhammad Fuad Masum محەممەد فوئاد مەعسووم 1 January 1938 Koya, Kingdom of Iraq |
| Citizenship | Iraq |
| Nationality | Kurdish |
| Political party | Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (1974–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Iraqi Communist Party (1962–1964) Kurdistan Democratic Party (1964–1974) |
| Spouse |
Rounak Abdulwahid Mustafa
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 6; including Juwan |
| Alma mater | University of Baghdad Al-Azhar University |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Signature |  |
Early life and education
editFuad Masum was born in the city of Koya. He was the son Mullah Masum Khider, a former head of the Association of Muslim Scholars in Kurdistan, who belongs to an established political dynasty with Muslim clerical links.[2][3] His family descends from the village of Khabanen, which is part of Hawraman.[4] He studied at various religious schools in Iraqi Kurdistan until the age of 18. He studied law and Sharia at Baghdad University.[5] In 1958, Masum traveled to Cairo to complete his higher education at Al-Azhar University.[6] He worked as a professor in Basrah University in 1968.[5] He earned his PhD in Islamic philosophy from Al-Azhar in 1975.[5]
Political career
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Communist Party
editMasum joined the Iraqi Communist Party in 1962, until 1964, where he travelled to Syria to meet the Communist Party secretary there, Khalid Bakdash.[4] After Masum discovered Bakdash's attitudes against the Kurds, he quit the party to join the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK).[7][8]
Kurdistan Democratic Party
editIn 1968, Masum was the PDK representative in Basra. He was also the representative of the Kurdish Revolution in Cairo until 1975.[4]
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
editMasum was one of the founders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in 1976.[7] By 1992, he was the first Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region.[7] In 2003, following the invasion of Iraq, Masum returned to Baghdad to be a member of the delegation representing Kurdistan, and was a member of the constitution drafting committee.[4] In 2010, Masum became the first Speaker of the Council of Representatives.[5]
Presidency
edit
In 2014, he was elected by the parliament representatives as the seventh president of Iraq.[9] Masum won 211 votes while his closest competitor, Barham Salih,[9] only received 17.[10] The decision was made during a secret vote of Kurdish MPs, who traditionally have control over the presidency for the sake of political balance.[9] United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was present in Iraq when the decision was made, meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki about the need for a more inclusive government.[11] Masum accepted the position, noting the "huge security, political and economic tasks" he faces as president.[12]
On 26 August, Masum appointed a new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi.[13]
Masum's appointment of Haider al-Abadi as new prime minister was considered illegal by Nouri al-Maliki and in violation of the constitution.[14] Maliki said that in spite of his erosion of power it was his duty to remain in power because the appointment was a conspiracy rooted from outside of Iraq.[15] Al-Maliki referred the matter to the federal court claiming, "the insistence on this until the end is to protect the state."[16] However, on 14 August 2014, in the face of growing calls from world leaders and members of his own party, the embattled prime minister announced he was stepping down, paving the way for al-Abadi to take over.[17]
Personal life
editMasum married to Rounak Abdulwahid Mustafa (1941-2023) in 1968, and has five daughters: Shereen (b. 1969), Juwan (b. 1972), Zozan (b. 1977), Shilan (b. 1979) and Veian (b. 1984). He had a son, Showan (1974–1988), who died from a childhood illness.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Moderate Kurd leader elected as Iraq president". Iraq Sun. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "Biography of President Fuad Masum, new President of the Republic of Iraq". Iraqi Dinar. 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Iraq profile - leaders". BBC News. 11 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Who is Fuad Masum, the President of Iraq?". ALSUMARIA. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Who is Fuad Masum, the new Iraqi President?". BBC. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Talabani's old time friend becomes candidate for Iraqi President | BAS NEWS". Bas News. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "Who is the new Iraqi president, Fuad Masum Hawrami?". Al Hayat. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ Heath-Brown, Nick (2017-02-07). The Statesman's Yearbook 2016: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World. Springer. ISBN 9781349578238.
- ^ a b c "Iraq selects senior Kurdish politician Fuad Masum president". World Bulletin. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "Iraq parliament elects Fuad Masum president: speaker". InterAksyon. Agence France-Presse. 24 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "Iraq gets new president in Fuad Masum, UN chief Ban Ki-moon seeks more urgency". The Times of India. Agence France-Presse. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "Iraq elects Fuad Masum as president". The Hindu. Associated Press. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ Madi, Mohamed (11 August 2014). "Profile: Haider al-Abadi, Iraqi PM in waiting". BBC News. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
- ^ "Power struggle on Baghdad streets as Maliki replaced but refuses to go". Reuters. August 2014. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- ^ Morris (August 13, 2014). "Maliki asserts 'duty' to cling to power in Iraq; Iran's supreme leader weighs in". Washington Post.
- ^ "Iraq's Incumbent PM Nouri Al-Maliki Grows More Isolated As He Clings To Power". Huffington Post. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ^ "Baghdad's Shiites in bid to oust Kurdish president of Iraq". Rudaw. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- ^ "Who is Dr. Fuad Masum? | Iraqi Dinar News Today". Iraqi Dinar News Today. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
