Ilzebeta Afriti

**Ilzebeta Afriti** (born 19 March 1976) is a Notoshan politician and intelligence officer who has served as president of Notosha since 2020. She is the first woman to serve in this office, and is an independent politician.

Afriti was born in Astina to an affluent and well-connected family. After completing her secondary education in 1994, Afriti relocated to Lirana in Asbania to enroll in the University of Lirana, studying law. Afriti later graduated with a law degree in 1999, with a specialization in criminal law. She worked as a public prosecutor in Asbania for one year, before applying to and being accepted into the State Intelligence Service as an intelligence officer, where she was assigned to the counter-terrorism branch. In 2010, following the establishment of the Notosha Intelligence Authority (NIA), Afriti was transferred due to the Notosha-Asbania partnership, and became branch leader of the counter-terrorism branch. In 2014, Afriti became director of the NIA, overseeing all intelligence operations in Notosha.

Afriti began her career in national politics in 2017, when she was nominated by Erag Kula to serve as justice minister in his cabinet. She officially took office on 5 September 2017, after her appointment by Zgur Xhanari, becoming the first woman to hold the office. As justice minister, Afriti emerged as one of the most prominent government ministers due to the high-profile nature of the position. Following the collapse of the Kula cabinet in 2019, Afriti resigned from the position, becoming an adjunct professor of law at the University of Astina and senior consultant at the NIA.

In June 2020, Xhanari announced that he would support Afriti in the upcoming presidential election, as he was term-limited and could not seek reelection. Following the endorsement of Xhanari, Afriti received the support of the incumbent government, which would grant her enough parliamentary support to be elected. She was the only candidate nominated to stand in the election, and was ultimately elected in the first round of voting. Afriti was later sworn in as president on 10 August 2020, becoming the first woman to serve as president.

## Early life and education

Afriti was born on 19 March 1976 in Astina to parents Gëzimjet Afriti (1930–2005) and Gjeraqina Lumaj (born 1945). Her father was a Notoshan media mogul, and at one point the wealthiest man in Notosha, who owned *The Astina Press*, which was the largest Asbanian-language newspaper in Alaslavia. As a media mogul in a nation without free media, Gëzimjet was well-connected with the Alaslavian fascist government but was continuously monitored and kept on a government watchlist, with Ilzebeta recalling numerous visits to her home by secret police to interview her father. Gjeraqina was born in Evrexhë and was a homemaker. Afriti was the youngest of six children, including two paternal half-siblings from her father's first marriage; her siblings include Besa (born 1960), Gjerg (born 1961), Enkelana (born 1970), Lushan (born 1972), and Aslan (born 1975).

Afriti was educated in Astina, attending a private, all-girls school for primary and secondary school. As a child, Afriti learned to speak Lorbian fluently, unlike many Notosha Asbanian children at the time, as her father believed it would help her succeed later in life. While in school, Afriti was both a popular and academically gifted student, who also played football recreationally and participated in competitive dance. She completed her secondary education in 1994, and afterwards moved to Lirana in Asbania to enroll in the University of Lirana, studying law. While a law student, Afriti developed an interest in criminal law and national security, and was inspired to pursue a career in government rather than corporate law, which she had previously considered her main area of interest.

Afriti graduated with her law degree in 1999, with a specialization in criminal law. She was subsequently hired by the Asbanian Public Prosecution Office as an assistant public prosecutor. As a prosecutor, Afriti worked on cases involving violent crime, national security, and domestic terrorism, before leaving the office after one year.

## Intelligence career

In 2000, Afriti was accepted into the State Intelligence Service, the Asbanian agency responsible for both domestic and foreign intelligence operations. Upon her acceptance, she became one of 24 recruits that year; she was one of only three women, and the only Notosha Asbanian accepted. After one year of training, Afriti graduated from the state intelligence academy in 2001, as a state intelligence officer.

After joining, Afriti was assigned to the agency's counter-terrorism branch. As an officer in the counter-terrorism branch, Afriti became involved in cases initiated to prevent domestic and cyberterrorism in Asbania, especially in the aftermath of the Notosha War (1997–2000). Her skills in the Lorbian language proved to be useful, as she engaged in undercover operations in Lorbia as an Asbanian intelligence officer. While an intelligence officer, Afriti was instrumental in successfully preventing a range of assassination attempts, cyberattacks, and domestic extremism through the agency's investigations and operations.

In 2010, following the declaration of Notoshan independence, the State Intelligence Service created a partnership with the newly formed Notosha Intelligence Authority (NIA), where senior Asbanian intelligence officers would transfer to the NIA to develop the agency there. Afriti volunteered for a transfer and was approved, becoming branch leader of the counter-terrorism branch of the NIA. In the position, Afriti trained newly hired Notoshan intelligence officers, and oversaw all counter-terrorism operations, which were particularly high-priority in the aftermath of the declaration of independence. In 2012, Afriti became deputy director of the NIA, and later became director of the NIA in 2014, the first woman to hold this position. As director of the NIA, Afriti oversaw all of the agency's operations and was considered the chief intelligence officer of the nation, reporting directly to the justice minister.

## Political career

### Justice minister

Afriti began her career in politics in 2017, after she was nominated by Erag Kula to serve as justice minister in his cabinet, following the resignation of Çun Thika. Afriti had previously been under consideration for the position of justice minister in 2015, but declined further interviews due to her desire to remain with the NIA for the time being. Her nomination was ultimately accepted by Zgur Xhanari, and she was appointed on 5 September 2017. With her appointment, she became the first woman to serve in the position, and one of the most high-ranking women to ever serve in the Notoshan government. As justice minister, Afriti was responsible for overseeing the justice system, public prosecutions, investigations and intelligence, the legal system, public order, immigration and citizenship services, law reform, and the prison and police systems. Executive agencies under her authority included the Notosha Intelligence Authority (NIA), the Notosha Office of Public Prosecutions, and the Notosha Police Force, among others.

Upon taking office as justice minister, Afriti emerged as one of the most highly-visible members of the government, often appearing in media and as one of the key surrogates of the Kula premiership. She received national attention for her implementation of right to return citizenship laws and the granting of citizenship to ethnic minorities, while also receiving attention for her prioritization of prosecuting corruption and violent crime within Notosha to the fullest extent of the law. As justice minister, Afriti became known for a "tough on crime" stance, and the nation's prison population doubled, while its crime rate decreased to the lowest its ever been. She has been criticized by political opponents for over-incarceration, while praised by supporters for her prioritization of public safety.

Afriti resigned as justice minister on 17 May 2019, along with the remainder of the Kula cabinet, following the fall of the government amidst internal struggles and political opposition. While Kula's popularity sharply decreased amidst the fall of his government, Afriti remained popular. After leaving the position, Afriti was hired as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Astina, where she taught a course on criminal law in relation to terrorism and national security. In addition to teaching, Afriti also became a paid speaker at international conferences on justice, law, and national security, and became a senior consultant at the NIA, assisting the agency on various intelligence operations in a consulting role.

### President of Notosha

In June 2020, Zgur Xhanari announced that he would be endorsing Afriti in the upcoming presidential election. Afriti had been rumored to be interested in running for the presidency, and had been one of a number of individuals jockeying for Xhanari's endorsement, as he would be term-limited and unable to run for reelection. Following the endorsement of Xhanari, Afriti received the support of the incumbent government, which would grant her enough parliamentary support to be elected. She was later formally nominated as a presidential candidate, becoming the only candidate with enough parliamentary support to stand in the election, and was elected to the presidency after one round of voting.

Afriti was formally inaugurated as president of Notosha on 10 August 2020 on the grounds of the newly constructed Presidential Palace, becoming the first woman to serve as president of Notosha. As president, Afriti serves as the head of state of Notosha, but is mainly a ceremonial figurehead. The president possesses few *de facto* powers, although much *de jure* power is still vested in the presidency. As president, Afriti signs all passed legislation, formally appoints the prime minister, cabinet members, members of parliament, and ambassadors to office, and serves as commander-in-chief of the Notosha Defense Forces. She wields a veto power of any passed legislation, but her veto can be overridden by a simple majority vote, rendering it essentially symbolic.

## Personal life

### Nationality

Afriti holds dual citizenship to Notosha and Asbania. At birth, Afriti was a dual citizen of Alaslavia and Asbania; she had inherited Alaslavian citizenship through her father, and Asbanian citizenship through her mother. Following the breakup of Alaslavia, Afriti's Alaslavian citizenship was dissolved, but she did not automatically receive Lorbian citizenship as she came from an ethnic minority and would not be left stateless. Afriti additionally never requested Lorbian citizenship on her own accord. Following the independence of Notosha in 2010, Afriti filed for Notoshan citizenship, and her application was approved.

During the Notosha War (1997–2000), her father and paternal half-siblings all received Asbanian citizenship, and the family fled Notosha to live in Lirana until the conclusion of the war. Afriti is fluent in Asbanian, Lorbian, and Ditrovian, and is also conversational in Travenian, Mulgarian, and Limian.

### Relationships and family

For most of her life, Afriti remained unmarried and childless. In December 2018, she announced her engagement to Notoshan business magnate Dritosh Emini, whom she began a romantic relationship with one year prior. They later married in a lavish ceremony in June 2019. Following the marriage, Afriti became stepmother to Emini's two children from his prior marriage: Indrit (born 1999) and Orgesa (born 2001).

The family resides in the Presidential Palace, Astina, which was first constructed in 2019. Afriti is the first president of Notosha to reside in the Presidential Palace. They also own personal residences in Astina, Lirana, and Danchester. Afriti has stated that she comes from a "Eurean Muslim culture," but does not practice a religion.