Profession: Prime Minister of Iraq

Biography: Haider al-Abadi is an Iraqi politician who served as Prime Minister of Iraq from 2014 to 2018. Before this he had served as Minister of Communication (2003-2004) in the first Iraqi government following the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Al-Abadi came from a prominent family, his father was a neurosurgeon and health ministry official. He graduated from the University of Technology in Baghdad in 1975 with a degree in electrical engineering and later earned a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester in the UK.

Al-Abadi joined the Islamic Dawa Party, a Shiite political party, in 1967. In the late 1970s, the Baathist regime began cracking down on Dawa party members. Two of al-Abadi's brothers were killed and another brother was imprisoned. In 1980, al-Abadi moved to the UK where he lived in exile.

During his time in exile, al-Abadi worked as an engineer and technology consultant. He also became a senior leader of the Dawa Party organizing its activities in Britain. After Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003, al-Abadi returned to Iraq.

He briefly served as Minister of Communications in 2003-2004 under the Coalition Provisional Authority. He was elected to Parliament in 2005 and chaired economic and finance committees.

In September 2014, President Fuad Masum nominated al-Abadi to become Prime Minister after pressuring the divisive former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down. Al-Abadi then formed a new government approved by Parliament.

As Prime Minister, al-Abadi focused on efforts to fight the Islamic State insurgency including announcing victory over ISIS in 2017. He also implemented financial reforms to counter corruption. Al-Abadi struggled with dysfunctional politics, however, and failed to form another coalition after the 2018 elections. He was subsequently replaced as Prime Minister by Adil Abdul-Mahdi in October 2018.

Born: April 25, 1952
Birthplace: Baghdad, Iraq
Age: 72 years old

Generation: Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Dragon
Star Sign: Taurus

Historical Events

  • 2014-09-08 Haider al-Abadi becomes the 75th Prime Minister of Iraq
  • 2017-07-09 Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proclaims victory over Islamic State forces in Mosul
  • 2017-12-09 Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declares victory over the Islamic State in Iraq, ending more than 3 years of conflict
  • 2018-06-06 Iraqi parliament orders manual recount of legislative elections in May after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claims evidence of irregularities

Famous Iraqis

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