Jalal Talabani

Iraqi politician (1933-2017)

Jalal Talabani (12 November 1933 – 3 October 2017) was a leading Kurdish politician. He served as President of Iraq from 2005 to 2014. He was the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Karim Qasim was of partial Kurdish heritage.[1]


Jalal Talabani
6th President of Iraq
In office
7 April 2005 – 24 July 2014
Prime MinisterIbrahim al-Jaafari
Nouri al-Maliki
Vice PresidentAdil Abdul-Mahdi
Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer
Tariq Al-Hashimi
Khodair al-Khozaei
Preceded byGhazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer
Succeeded byFuad Masum
Leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
In office
1 April 1975 – 3 October 2017
Preceded byOffice Created
President of the Governing Council of Iraq
In office
1 November 2003 – 30 November 2003
Preceded byAyad Allawi
Succeeded byAbdul Aziz al-Hakim
Personal details
Born(1933-11-12)12 November 1933
Kelkan, Iraq
Died3 October 2017(2017-10-03) (aged 83)
Berlin, Germany
Political partyPatriotic Union of Kurdistan
Spouse(s)Hero Ibrahim Ahmed
ChildrenQubad
Alma materUniversity of Baghdad

Talabani was the founder and secretary general of one of the main Kurdish political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). He was a prominent member of the Interim Iraq Governing Council, which was established following the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime by the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Talabani has been an advocate for Kurdish rights and democracy in Iraq for more than 50 years.

Apart from his native Kurdish, Talabani is fluent in Arabic, Persian, and English. Talabani is a member of the Socialist International.[2]

Talabani was born on 12 November 1933 in Kelkan, Iraq. He studied at the University of Baghdad. He is married to Hero Ibrahim Ahmed. They have one son, Qubad.

On 18 December 2012 Talabani suffered a stroke and was in intensive care in Baghdad where his condition eventually stabilized after reports that he was in a coma. A statement on the President's official website said that he was being treated for blocked arteries.[3][4][5] On 20 December, Talabani's condition has improved enough to allow travel to Germany for treatment.[6][7][8][9]

Talabani died of a cerebral hemorrhage as complications from a stroke at a hospital in Berlin on 3 October 2017 at the age of 83.[10]

References

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  1. "Iraq's president appoints Shiite as prime minister". chinadaily.com. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2005-08-04.
  2. XXIII Congress of the Socialist International, Athens. SPEECH OF H.E. JALAL TALABANI, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ, 2008.
  3. Adam Schreck and Qassim Abdul-Zahra (18 December 2012). "Jalal Talabani, Iraq President, Suffers Stroke". AP via Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  4. "Iraqi President Jalal Talabani 'in coma after stroke'". BBC News. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  5. "Iraq President Talabani stable after stroke". Al Jazeera English. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  6. Reuters in Baghdad (20 December 2012). "Iraqi president Jalal Talabani flies to Germany for stroke treatment". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  7. "Iraq's Jalal Talabani arrives in Germany for treatment". BBC News. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  8. Reuters (20 December 2012). "Iraq's President Talabani leaves for treatment in Germany after stroke". NBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2012. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  9. Anatolia News Agency (17 May 2013). "Iraq Presidential Office publishes pictures showing ailing Jalal Talabani recovering from stroke". Hurriyet Daily News. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  10. Former Iraqi President Talabani dies at 83

Other websites

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  Media related to Jalal Talabani at Wikimedia Commons