Abadi left to study abroad after receiving a bachelor 's degree in 1975 , and stayed away as Hussein tightened his grip on the country . Haider al - Abadi is a member of the same political party as Prime Minister Nuri al - Maliki . Abadi , a Sunni , is viewed as a moderate . He was forced into exile by Saddam Hussein , and he returned to Iraq in 2003 . He was born in Baghdad in 1952 .
Haider al - Abadi is a member of the same political party as Prime Minister Nuri al - Maliki . Abadi , a Sunni , is viewed as a moderate . He was forced into exile by Saddam Hussein , and he returned to Iraq in 2003 . He was born in Baghdad in 1952 .