Who Is Nizar Amidi? Iraq’s New President In The Fallout Of US-Israel And Iran War

2 min readApr 12, 2026 01:36 PM IST

Nizar Amidi has been elected as the new president of Iraq, ending months of political deadlock following inconclusive elections in the country. Amidi is a senior leader in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of Iraq’s two main Kurdish parties.

By long-standing convention, the Iraqi president is Kurdish, while the prime minister is Shiite and the parliamentary speaker Sunni.Amidi defeated Fuad Hussein, the candidate backed by the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

An engineer by training, Amidi was born in Dohuk in northern Iraq. He has long worked behind the scenes in Iraqi politics. He previously served as an aide to former presidents Jalal Talabani and Fouad Massoum, both senior Kurdish figures.

How Amidi won the elections

According to AP, no candidate secured the required two-thirds majority in the first round. Amidi led comfortably with 208 votes.

A second round was held, where a simple majority was enough. Amidi won decisively with 227 votes, far ahead of Muthanna Amin Nader.

The vote took place more than two months after the constitutional deadline. Iraq’s parliament had struggled to form a clear majority after elections held five months ago.

The delay reflects deep political divisions across blocs. Under the constitution, Amidi now has 15 days to nominate a prime minister.

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The powerful Shiite Coordination Framework has proposed former premier Nouri al-Maliki. However, the choice remains contentious.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had stepped aside earlier to support Maliki.

Amidi takes office as Iraq faces serious challenges. The country has been caught in the fallout of the US-Israeli war on Iran, AP reported.

Iran-backed militias have attacked US targets and key infrastructure in Iraq. In response, the US and Israel carried out airstrikes, some killing Iraqi personnel.

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The conflict also disrupted oil exports after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, hurting Iraq’s economy.

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How Amidi won the elections

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