Massoud Barzani (born August 16, 1946) is the head of the Autonomous Kurdish Government in Iraq and leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. He has been the president of the party since 1979. Barzani led the Kurdistan Democratic Party to establish a government in Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. He was also a member of the US-led occupation of Iraq, "Iraq Interim Governing Council". He became president of the council on April 1, 2004, for a term of one month.
Barzani was born in Mahabad, Iran. He is the son of the former Kurdish nationalist leader Mustafa Barzani.
His chief rival, Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, is currently President of Iraq.
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