Osama al-Nujaifi | |
---|---|
أسامة النجيفي | |
Vice President of Iraq | |
Assumed office 10 October 2016 Serving with Nouri al-Maliki and Ayad Allawi |
|
President | Fuad Masum |
Preceded by | Himself |
In office 8 September 2014 – 11 August 2015 Serving with Nouri al-Maliki and Ayad Allawi |
|
President | Fuad Masum |
Preceded by | Khodair al-Khozaei |
Succeeded by | Himself |
Speaker of the Council of Representatives | |
In office 11 November 2010 – 15 July 2014 |
|
Prime Minister | Nouri al-Maliki |
Preceded by | Fuad Masum (Acting) |
Succeeded by | Salim al-Jabouri |
Minister of Industry | |
In office 3 May 2005 – 20 May 2006 |
|
Prime Minister | Ibrahim al-Jaafari |
Preceded by | Hajim al-Hassani (Interim) |
Succeeded by | Fawzi Hariri |
Personal details | |
Born |
Usama Abdu'l Aziz al-Nujayfi 1956 (age 60–61) Mosul, Iraq |
Nationality | Iraqi |
Political party | al-Hadba (in the Muttahidoon coalition) |
Relations | Atheel al-Nujaifi (Brother) |
Residence | Baghdad, Iraq |
Profession | Engineer, politician |
Religion | Sunni Islam |
Osama Abdul Aziz al-Nujaifi or Najifi (Arabic: أسامة النجيفي; born c. 1956 in Mosul) is an Iraqi politician and one of the three Vice Presidents of the country. As the Speaker of the Council of Representatives, the informal leader of the moderate Sunni al-Hadba party was the highest ranking Sunni politician of Iraq.
An engineer by profession, al-Nujaifi served as Minister of Industry in the 2005–06 Iraqi Transitional Government. He later won the 2010 parliamentary election and was elected the Speaker of the Council of Representatives. During this time, he built up a reputation as prime minister al-Maliki staunchest adversary, whom as a Sunni he could defy but not challenge. After leaving offices together with al-Maliki in 2014, he was rewarded the ceremonial post of a Vice President of Iraq, which he held until 2015. The positions of all three Vice Presidents was restored in October 2016.
al-Nujaifi was born 1956 in Mosul to a wealthy family of landowners and politicians. Both his grandfather Muhammad and his father served as members of parliament during the monarchist era. He grew up racing Arabian horses for his family.
In 1978, al-Nujaifi earned a degree in electrical engineering, from the University of Mosul. Shortly after graduation, he worked in the Iraqi government's electricity ministry for 12 years, involved in building power plants.