The name of Iraqi businessman Ali Faleh Kazem Al-Zaidi has emerged as a surprising consensus candidate for the next premiership, and he has now been tasked with forming the upcoming government. He is a figure who combines financial influence, academic credentials, and wide‑ranging political connections.
Al-Zaidi, who holds three academic degrees (a bachelor’s in law and a bachelor’s and master’s in finance and banking), is considered one of the personalities who move flexibly between the fields of investment and politics, relying on a strong network of relationships—most notably his closeness to the Hikma Movement led by Ammar al-Hakim, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, and the presence of his brother, Dhiaa Al-Zaidi, as a member of the Iraqi Parliament.
Al-Zaidi oversees a broad economic, educational, and media network, currently serving as:
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Holding Company
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Shaab Private University
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ishtar Medical Institute
He also wields significant media and commercial influence as the owner of the Dijlah TV channel and an investor in hypermarket projects across various provinces. He holds major contracts with the Iraqi Ministry of Trade, where he is known to have considerable influence, and he owns Al-Owais Company.
Despite his extensive professional career, Al-Zaidi faces controversial issues, the most prominent being his former role as chairman of the Board of Directors of South Islamic Bank, which was placed on the U.S. Treasury sanctions list over accusations related to smuggling hard currency and money laundering in favor of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
