Masrour Barzani is a Kurdish politician who became prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s ninth cabinet in July 2019. His earlier career combined party work and intelligence administration, including appointment as Security Council chancellor in 2012.

Masrour Barzani smiling in a dark suit and striped tie against a cream-coloured interior wall
Masrour Barzani in Erbil on 9 January 2019, while serving as Security Council chancellor. Crop of a US State Department photograph taken during Secretary Mike Pompeo’s visit. US Department of State · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain; cropped image.

Family, education and early political activity

Born on 2 March 1969, Barzani is the son of Masoud Barzani and grandson of Mustafa Barzani. [1] The KRG’s official biography records his joining the peshmerga in 1985 and participating in the 1991 uprising. It describes secondary education in Iran, English study in London in 1992 and an honours bachelor’s degree in International Studies at American University in Washington, DC, followed by postgraduate study in Peace and Conflict Resolution. [2]

Intelligence leadership and the Security Council

The official chronology distinguishes two appointments: director of the Protection and Intelligence Agency in 1998, and first chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council in 2012. The latter position oversaw security and intelligence services and included a role during the war against ISIS. His election to the KDP’s senior leadership also developed through successive party congresses, with a vice-presidential appointment in 2022. [2] These dates clarify the progression between an earlier agency post and the later council office.

Becoming prime minister in 2019

The KRG’s announcement of 10 July 2019 records parliament confirming Barzani and his cabinet. At inauguration he set out plans for improved relations with Baghdad, a negotiated division of revenue, public-finance reform and an economy less dependent on oil and gas. He also sought support for displaced people and refugees living in the region. [3] These were the new government’s stated priorities at the beginning of its term.

Banking and the MyAccount programme

A concrete policy initiative has been moving public payroll payments from cash into bank accounts. In his statement of 15 September 2026, Barzani said that one million payroll recipients would receive their salaries electronically that week through partner banks licensed by Iraq’s central bank. He presented MyAccount as a way to broaden access to banking and enable electronic payments for public services. [4] The figure is a dated announcement by the prime minister about programme delivery.

Civil liberties and scrutiny of government

Human Rights Watch’s April 2021 investigation criticised the trial of journalists and activists in Erbil, drawing on a lawyer, a relative and an independent courtroom source. It reported restrictions on access to counsel and concerns over evidence and political interference. HRW also criticised Barzani’s pre-trial remarks accusing detainees of espionage as prejudicial. The report included the KRG advocacy coordinator’s response that the judiciary was independent and the government had not interfered. [5] The controversy places civil liberties and the treatment of criticism within the record of his premiership.

Public institutions and the October 2026 position

The KRG’s representation in Sweden records Barzani’s founding of the Barzani Charity Foundation in 2005 and his role as chair of the American University Kurdistan’s board of trustees. [1] His government continued to identify him as prime minister in October 2026. A 13 October announcement about his meeting with Romania’s ambassador discussed reactivating parliament as a step towards forming a new cabinet. [6] That dated record describes continuing government-formation discussions.

Sources and further reading

  1. KRG Representation in Sweden, Premiärministern; birth, family, 2012 appointment, charity foundation and university role.
  2. Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani official biography; education, 1998 and 2012 appointments, party career and ISIS-war role.
  3. KRG, inauguration announcement, 10 July 2019; parliamentary confirmation and stated priorities of the ninth cabinet.
  4. Masrour Barzani, Statement on MyAccount Milestone, 15 September 2026; official payroll and banking programme announcement.
  5. Human Rights Watch, Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Flawed Trial of Journalists, Activists, 22 April 2021; investigation, fair-trial concerns and KRG response.
  6. KRG, meeting with Romanian ambassador, 13 October 2026; current office and discussion of parliament and cabinet formation.