MASUM, FUAD

(1938- )

A senior member of the politburo of thePatriotic Union of Kurdistan(PUK) andIslamicscholar, Fuad Ma-sum was named the first prime minister of theKurdistan Regional Government(KRG) in northernIraqupon its formal creation in June 1992. Basically a technocrat, Masum resigned in March 1993 in favor of a more dynamic leadership headed byKosrat Rasul, also a senior member of the PUK. However, internal conflict between theKurdistan Democratic Party(KDP) and the PUK soon followed. Since the 2003 war, Masum has continued to play an important role in Kurdish politics, especially in the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad.