Jalal Talabani
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 Incumbent Assumed office 1 April 1975 Preceded by Position established 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 (age 81) Kelkan, Iraq Political party Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Spouse(s) Hero Ibrahim Ahmed Children Qubad Pavel Alma mater University of Baghdad Religion Islam Jalal Talabani (Kurdish: جەلال تاڵەبانی Celal Tallebanî, Arabic: جلال طالباني Jalāl Ṭālabānī; born 12 November 1933) is a leading Kurdish politician who served as the sixth 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. He is known as "Mam Jalal" meaning "uncle Jalal" among Kurdish people. Talabani is the founder and has been 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.