Abdul Latif Rashid

Abdul Latif Rashid
Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan · CC BY 4.0 · source
Name	Abdul Latif Rashid
Native name	عبد اللطيف رشيد
Birth date	10 August 1944
Birth place	Sulaymaniyah, Kingdom of Iraq
Nationality	Iraqi
Alma mater	University of Liverpool, University of Manchester
Occupation	Engineer, Politician
Office	President of Iraq
Term start	17 October 2022
Predecessor	Barham Salih

Abdul Latif Rashid is an Iraqi Kurdish politician and civil engineer who has served as the President of Iraq since October 2022. A veteran technocrat and member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, he previously held senior ministerial positions including Minister of Water Resources and has acted as a mediator between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan. Rashid's career spans roles in international development, technical engineering, and Iraqi national politics during and after the Iraq War.

Early life and education

Born in Sulaymaniyah in 1944, Rashid studied engineering and obtained degrees in civil engineering and hydrology from the University of Liverpool and the University of Manchester. During his student years he was connected to Kurdish political circles associated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party and later the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. His technical training led him to positions with international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme and engineering consultancies involved with projects in United Kingdom, Sweden, and United States. Rashid's academic background in hydrology and water resources informed collaborations with agencies including the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Committee of the Red Cross on water-management and rehabilitation projects in Middle East contexts.

Political and engineering career

Rashid combined engineering expertise with political networking across Kurdish and Iraqi institutions. He worked on water-resource planning and reconstruction programs in post-conflict settings, engaging with bodies such as the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and bilateral donors from Germany and France. In the 1990s and 2000s he returned to Iraqi affairs, participating in technical committees addressing dam safety at assets like the Mosul Dam and in intergovernmental negotiations over the Tigris and Euphrates river basins. Rashid's career connects to figures including Jalal Talabani, Masoud Barzani, and international envoys like Kofi Annan and Paul Bremer during transitional arrangements following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Ministerial roles and government service

Rashid served as Minister of Water Resources in several cabinets, overseeing agencies responsible for irrigation, dam operations, and flood control that intersected with provincial administrations in Basra, Anbar, Nineveh, and Diyala. His ministerial tenure involved coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Oil on water use for petrochemical installations, and disaster response agencies after flooding events and the Mosul Dam emergency episodes. He negotiated transboundary water issues involving neighboring states such as Turkey and Syria and engaged with arbitration forums linked to the United Nations and the League of Arab States. Within Iraqi politics he formed working relationships with prime ministers including Nouri al-Maliki, Haider al-Abadi, and Adil Abdul-Mahdi.

Presidency (2022–present)

Elected President of Iraq in October 2022 with the backing of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and consensus among parliamentary blocs, Rashid assumed a largely ceremonial but constitutionally significant role during a period of political fragmentation involving the Kurdistan Regional Government, Coordination Framework, and independent blocs. As president he has engaged in state visits with leaders from Jordan, Turkey, Iran, and members of the European Union and has hosted delegations from the United States and United Nations envoys. Rashid has used the presidency to facilitate consultations for government formation with candidates for Prime Minister of Iraq and to represent Iraq in discussions about energy exports to Turkey and reconstruction funding from institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Political positions and policies

Rashid advocates for reconciliation between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government and supports constitutional forms of federalism consistent with the Iraqi Constitution (2005). He emphasizes infrastructure rehabilitation, water-security initiatives involving the Tigris and Euphrates, and policies to attract reconstruction investment from the Gulf Cooperation Council and European Investment Bank. On regional diplomacy he favors pragmatic engagement with Turkey, Iran, and Gulf states while maintaining partnerships with NATO members and United Nations agencies for stabilization and counterterrorism efforts against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Domestically, Rashid has called for anti-corruption measures in coordination with the Independent High Electoral Commission and judicial reforms engaging the Council of Representatives of Iraq and the Supreme Judicial Council.

Personal life and honors

Rashid is married and has a family with roots in the Kurdish community of Sulaymaniyah. His professional honors include recognition from engineering institutions and international development agencies for work on water resources and post-conflict reconstruction, and he has participated in conferences alongside figures from the World Economic Forum and the International Water Association. Rashid's diplomatic engagements have earned him protocol awards during state visits with counterparts in Baghdad and Erbil, and he remains an elder statesman within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and broader Iraqi political networks.

Category:Presidents of Iraq Category:Kurdish politicians Category:Iraqi engineers Category:1944 births Category:Living people