Abdul Latif Rashid’s career connects engineering, Kurdish opposition politics, water administration and Iraq’s presidency. This profile covers his education, the 2022 parliamentary vote and the April 2026 handover to Nizar Amidi.
A presidency that ended in April 2026
Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, a Kurdish Iraqi politician born in Sulaymaniyah in 1944, served as president during 2022–2026. [1] [2] He should no longer be described as the incumbent. Qatar News Agency’s 12 April 2026 report records Nizar Amidi formally assuming office and meeting Rashid for the handover at Baghdad Palace. [1] This biography was reviewed on 31 October 2026. His career also includes engineering, overseas political activity and water administration, each of which deserves attention beyond the presidential title.
Engineering education in Britain
The University of Liverpool’s Spring 2008 alumni magazine identifies Rashid as a BEng graduate of 1968. In its interview, he recalls undertaking A-levels in North Wales and receiving an Iraqi government scholarship for university study. The university describes his return visit and discussions with its Sustainable Water, Integrated Management and Ecosystem Research institute, known as SWIMMER. [3] NRT’s dated biographical timeline records a Manchester MSc in 1972 and PhD in 1976. [2] Together these accounts give specific educational milestones, rather than merely calling him British-educated. The 2008 interview reflects his recollections and priorities at that time.
Overseas politics and the water ministry
NRT records Rashid’s work as the PUK’s UK representative and spokesman from 1986, his election to the Iraqi National Congress leadership in 1992 and his appointment as a presidential adviser in 2010. It dates his water resources ministry to 2003–2010. [2] His 2008 Liverpool interview also discusses the ministry’s interest in marsh restoration, technical training and exchanges of expertise. [3] Those are identifiable responsibilities and stated ambitions. A minister’s account of a programme should not be turned into independent proof that every restoration or service goal was achieved, or that subsequent water shortages were resolved.
13 October 2022: election by parliament
The Iraqi News Agency’s report of the decisive second round records 162 votes for Rashid, 99 for Barham Salih and eight invalid ballots, from 269 participating deputies. [4] These were parliamentary votes, not percentages of a nationwide popular presidential election. EPIC’s contemporary monitor records that Rashid then designated Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to form a government. [5] The distinction between president and prime minister matters: choosing a prime minister-designate was a step in government formation, not Rashid taking over the premiership himself.
Party connections did not mean unanimous backing
EPIC’s October 2022 account describes Rashid as having PUK ties while receiving KDP backing after that party withdrew its own candidate. It also records the PUK reaffirming Barham Salih as its official candidate. [5] This makes the election more informative than a simple statement that one Kurdish party chose its senior figure. The same community or party background does not eliminate rivalry or parliamentary bargaining. Reporting on Iraq’s power-sharing system describes a Kurdish presidency as a political convention. [6] This describes political practice; it does not establish an ethnic reservation from the constitutional text.
Water security remained part of his presidential work
The UN Secretary-General’s readout of a meeting with Rashid on 24 March 2023 identifies UN–Iraq cooperation and climate change, with a focus on water security, as subjects discussed. [7] This provides a dated example of the issue continuing into his presidency. A meeting record establishes an agenda, not a resulting agreement, a completed infrastructure project or measured improvements in water supply. Evaluating his record requires keeping public advocacy, ministerial administration and demonstrable outcomes distinct.
The handover and a record to assess
QNA’s April 2026 report distinguishes Amidi’s election the previous day from the official assumption of duties and the handover ceremony. [1] That distinction helps readers follow the transition without treating every report’s publication date as the start of a term. Rashid’s legacy can be examined through his engineering background, opposition networks, ministry responsibilities, government-formation role and public diplomacy. Praise, criticism and claims about results should be tied to particular evidence. Holding national office does not by itself demonstrate that an individual resolved every institutional, regional or environmental challenge associated with it.
Sources and further reading
- Qatar News Agency, New Iraqi President Officially Assumes Office, 12 April 2026; presidential ceremony and handover from Rashid.
- NRT Digital Media, Who is Dr. Abdul Latif Rashid?, 13 October 2022; dated biographical timeline.
- University of Liverpool, Insight, Spring 2008, p. 19, Iraqi ministers tap into alma mater’s expertise; interview with Rashid.
- Iraqi News Agency, Abdul Latif Rashid is the new president of Iraq, 13 October 2022; previously consulted public report of second-round results.
- Enabling Peace in Iraq Center, Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor, 6–13 October 2022; presidential vote, party backing and prime minister designation.
- Associated Press, Iraq elects Kurdish politician Nizar Amidi as president amid war fallout, 11 April 2026; description of the power-sharing convention.
- UN Secretary-General, meeting readout with Abdullatif Jamal Rashid, 24 March 2023; previously consulted public text on water security.
- M. Hasan Zarifmanesh/Fars Media Corporation, Abdul Latif Rashid, Tehran, 29 April 2023; Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.