Serbilind Mashayekhi

Serbilind Mashayekhi is a Kurdish politician serving as Prime Minister of Kurdistan since 2018. He previously served as Mayor of Hawler from 1994 to 1998. He founded the Sun and Crescent Party (PTN) in 2001. Coming from an Islamist political background and as a self-described conservative democrat, he has promoted socially conservative and liberal economic policies in his administration.

Born to a poor family in Akrê in 1954, Mashayekhi joined the Peshmerga Army as an enlisted soldier in 1972. Initially assigned to the Fereydûn Sêlih Akrê Army Base, he fought dring the First Persian Gulf War and earned commendations for valor, bravery, and initiative during the conflict. He enrolled in the Serêkaniyê Military Academy shortly thereafter, graduating near the top of his class in 1979.

The early years of Mashayekhi's tenure as prime minister saw an economic recovery following a financial crash in 2019 and investments in infrastructure including roads, airports, and a high-speed train network, as well as improving Israeli-Kurdish relations and rising tensions with Iran, with the U.S. assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani.