Adnan Zurfi, Iraq’s second premier-designate this year, is respected for focussing on public services and security but faces resistance from factions wary of his close ties with the United States.
The 54-year-old lawmaker is the ex-governor of the Shiite Muslim shrine city of Najaf, has advanced degrees in religious studies and was a long-time member of the Dawa Party which opposed ex-dictator Saddam Hussein.
After a failed 1991 uprising against Saddam, Zurfi fled to Saudi Arabia and then on to the United States, returning to Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003.
He is an Iraqi-US dual national and his wife, five sons and two daughters still live in the United States.
Under Iraqi law, he would have to renounce his American citizenship to take up the premiership, which is yet to be confirmed by Parliament.
Zurfi was appointed Najaf governor in 2004 by the US occupation force, to take on the Mehdi Army of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, which was attacking American troops.
He later managed to repair his relationship with Sadr, now a kingmaker in Iraqi politics.
Zurfi has been able to build a public profile in Iraq as a TV talk show regular, clean-shaven and with his silver-tinged hair slicked back.
Fellow MP Sarkawt Shamsaddin said Zurfi had earned respect for taking the initiative on social and economic projects and described him as “a moderate Shiite voice who is supportive of ties with the West”.
In order to win the premiership, he will have to overcome the resistance of political factions allied with Iran, Washington’s arch-rival, which is an influential force in Iraqi politics.
Zurfi’s nomination by President Barham Saleh came on a day crisis-battered Iraq faced new turmoil: a pre-dawn rocket attack on an Iraqi base hosting foreign troops, and looming curfews to slow the coronavirus pandemic.
The rocky security situation and collapsing oil prices come after months of anti-government protests and will form the main challenges for the new premier-designate.
As a relatively young newcomer in Baghdad, there are hopes he could shake up politics after months of paralysis.
“Zurfi is a new name and that’s probably more an advantage than a disadvantage,” said Sajad Jiyad, an Iraqi analyst.