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.
