Deputy Rakan Said Name Najmiddin Karim Citizenship Iraq
USA | Constituency Kirkuk Preceded by Abdul Rahman Mustafa Service/branch Peshmerga | |
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Political party Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Alma mater George Washington University
University of Mosul Party Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Education George Washington University, University of Mosul | ||
Iraq: Parliament dismisses pro-Kurdish referendum Governor of Kirkuk
Dr. Najmaldin Karim (Kurdish: نەجمەدین کەریم) (born 1949) is the current governor of Kirkuk Governorate in Iraq. Prior to the invasion of Iraq Karim had served in numerous Kurdish and Iraqi opposition groups.
Contents
- Iraq Parliament dismisses pro Kurdish referendum Governor of Kirkuk
- Early years
- Return to Iraq
- Personal life
- References
Early years
Karim was born in Kirkuk in 1949, and lived in Kirkuk until he completed secondary school, when upon he moved to Mosul, where he studied medicine at the Mosul Medical College. Karim became involved in politics at university, being elected to the leadership of the Kurdish Student Union in 1971, and then later joining the peshmerga in 1972.
Karim left Iraq in 1975. He later completed neurosurgery training at George Washington University, and started his own medical practice in the Washington, DC area. Karim became an American citizen and lived in The United States until 2009, when he returned to Kirkuk. Karim was in the emergency room when American President Ronald Reagan was shot in March 1981.
Return to Iraq
Karim returned to Iraq in 2009 to stand for the Kurdistan Alliance in the parliamentary election, and was elected as a member of parliament for Kirkuk. He was subsequently elected as governor of Kirkuk Governorate by Kirkuk's Governorate Council on 29 March 2011, and was sworn in on 3 April 2011.Dr. Karim was the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's Kirkuk list in the 2014 general elections where he drew enormous support across ethnic groups with over 200,000 votes. This led to the Kurdish dominance in provincial representation. Dr. Karim's non-partisan work for all Kirkukis became evident at the polls.
Following President Jalal Talabani's stroke on December 17, 2012, Karim served as the head of Talabani's medical team when Talabani is in Iraq, although the majority of his medical treatment has been carried out in Germany.
The Iraqi parliament on 14 September 2017 voted to sack Karim as the governor of Kirkuk, a decision requested by the Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi after Kirkuk's provincial assembly voted to take part in the referendum on Kurdish independence that was slated to take place on 25 September. Karim however has stated he will not follow the dismissal order and will stay in office. The provincial council meanwhile condemned the decision of the parliament with council head Ribwar al-Talabani claiming only the council had the power to remove him.
Personal life
Karim has both Iraqi and American citizenship, and prior to his return to Iraq lived in The United States with his wife and family, where he ran his medical practice.