Jalal Talabani

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]

His Excellency Jalal Talabani
6th President of Iraq
In office 7 April 2005 – 24 July 2014
Prime Minister	Ibrahim al-Jaafari Nouri al-Maliki
Vice President	Adil Abdul-Mahdi Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer Tariq Al-Hashimi Khodair al-Khozaei
Preceded by	Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer
Succeeded by	Fuad Masum
Leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
In office 1 April 1975 – 3 October 2017
Preceded by	Office Created
President of the Governing Council of Iraq
In office 1 November 2003 – 30 November 2003
Preceded by	Ayad Allawi
Succeeded by	Abdul Aziz al-Hakim
Personal details
Born	(1933-11-12)12 November 1933 Kelkan, Iraq
Died	3 October 2017(2017-10-03) (aged 83) Berlin, Germany
Political party	Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Spouse(s)	Hero Ibrahim Ahmed
Children	Qubad
Alma mater	University 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]