Aali Nöördad

**Aali Nöördad** (born 12 May 1946) is an Ecklander stateswoman and intelligence officer who has served as President of Eckland since 2014. The second woman to ever serve as president, she previously was the first woman to serve as the Director of the Eckish Internal Intelligence Service (KKE) from 2003 to 2011.

Born in Poorgu to a father in the KKE, Nöördad graduated from high school in 1964. Afterwards, she enrolled in the University of Uuguu, and later graduated with a degree in criminology in 1967. After graduating from university, Nöördad accepted a position with the KKE as a trainee. She finished her training in 1969, and afterwards accepted her first mission abroad as an intelligence officer in the Kashan Union. In 1977, Nöördad was promoted to chief of intelligence for the KKE in Eastern Eurea. She became deputy chief of station for Eastern Eurea in 1982, and later became chief of station for Eastern Eurea in 1985. Nöördad retired from service abroad in 1988, returning to Eckland to serve as deputy national director for Eurea. In 1995, she was promoted to national director for Eurea. In 2003, Nöördad was appointed director of the Eckish Internal Intelligence Service by Minister of Internal Affairs Bart Järvin, in the administration of Mart Älkenen. This made her the first woman to ever lead the national domestic intelligence agency. She continued in the position during the administration of Viktor Hoone, until retiring in 2011.

Nöördad initially did not declare her candidacy in the 2014 presidential election. After the first two rounds resulted in a deadlock, Nöördad was convinced to run in the election as a unity candidate who could unite the governing center-left coalition and the center-right opposition by Därdo Kuikas. After announcing her candidacy on 27 May 2014 to stand in the third round of voting, all the other candidates dropped out and Nöördad was elected unopposed. She took office on 15 June 2014, becoming the second woman to serve as president. Nöördad is constitutionally required to remain independent and non-partisan during her tenure, although Nöördad has expressed personal views aligning with the left-wing on social issues such as LGBT rights and immigration, and aligning with centrists on economic issues. Nöördad was reelected unopposed in the 2018 presidential election. She initially expressed doubt over her willingness to serve a second term, but ultimately confirmed her candidacy due to polling as the most popular Eckish president of all-time, with more than 84.5% of Ecklanders approving of her.

## Early life and education

Nöördad was born on 12 May 1946 in Poorgu to parents Tammel Nöördad (1914–1998) and Birgiitta Sülekuks (1918–2010). Her father was an intelligence officer with the Eckish Internal Intelligence Service (KKE) who frequently was working abroad on intelligence missions, so Nöördad was primarily raised by her mother, who worked as a schoolteacher. Nöördad is the eldest of three children and only daughter; her younger brothers include Tammel, born  (1949-02-03) 3 February 1949 (age 74), and Erikki, born  (1952-03-19) 19 March 1952 (age 71). Nöördad was raised in the Sillalinn neighborhood of Jõgevakele in Poorgu.

Nöördad began her education in 1952, attending a local public primary school in her neighborhood. As a young child, Nöördad excelled academically and dreamed of following in her father's footsteps with working for the KKE. She graduated from primary school in 1960, and subsequently enrolled in a nearby gymnasium in Sillalinn. Nöördad graduated from upper secondary school in 1964, and afterwards enrolled in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Uuguu, graduating with a degree in criminology in 1967.

## Career

### Domestic intelligence

After graduating from university in 1967, Nöördad applied for the Eckish Internal Intelligence Service (KKE) with the assistance of her father, and was ultimately accepted as a trainee. For two years, Nöördad took part in language, intelligence, and combat training with the KKE, ultimately completing her training in 1969.

After finishing her training, Nöördad received her first mission abroad to serve as an intelligence officer in Bragomareș, the capital of the Kashan Communist Republic of Muldania within the Kashan Union. Nöördad became fluent in both Karsylvanian and Kashan in preparation for the assignment. In 1977, Nöördad was promoted to chief of intelligence for the KKE in Eastern Eurea, thus relocating from Bragomareș to Zakarina in the Kashan Federative Communist Republic. She became deputy chief of station for Eastern Eurea in 1982, and later became chief of station for Eastern Eurea in 1985. Nöördad retired from service abroad in 1988, returning to Eckland to serve as deputy national director for Eurea. In 1995, she was promoted to national director for Eurea.

In 2003, Nöördad was appointed director of the Eckish Internal Intelligence Service by Minister of Internal Affairs Bart Järvin, in the administration of Mart Älkenen. This made her the first woman to ever lead the national domestic intelligence agency. She continued in the position during the administration of Viktor Hoone, until retiring in 2011.

### President of Eckland

Beginning in late-2013, Nöördad became a highly rumored possible candidate in the 2014 presidential election. In January 2014, Prime Minister Därdo Kuikas referred to Nöördad as "one of the most intelligent and qualified people in the nation", fueling rumors that Nöördad would run for president. In the run-up to the first ballot in March 2014, Nöördad finally confirmed that after careful consideration she would not run for president.

After both the first and second ballots failed to secure a winning candidate with a 2/3 majority, Kuikas held a private meeting with Nöördad in the hope of convincing her to run as a unity candidate to unite the two dueling coalitions of parliament. The two major candidates, left-wing Hendrik Mõõl and right-wing Anna-Else Tamm, were widely seen as unlikely to secure a 2/3 majority in parliament. Not wanting the election to fail in the third ballot and force a popular vote campaign, Kuikas successful convinced Nöördad to run as a unity candidate. She officially declared her candidacy for the presidency on 27 May 2014, with both Mõõl and Tamm announcing the suspension of their campaigns later that day. Nöördad was ultimately elected unopposed and took office on 15 June 2014, becoming the second woman to ever serve as president.

The Eckish presidency is a ceremonial role with no real powers. The president must remain independent and non-partisan throughout their tenure, although they are allowed to express political opinions and influence legislation through public statements. As president, Nöördad has positioned herself as a pragmatic moderate, supporting liberal positions on social issues but more centrist positions on economic issues. In the run-up to the 2018 presidential election, Nöördad publicly considered declining to run for a second term, but ultimately decided to run for reelection after being declared the most popular Eckish president of all-time, with approval ratings of over 84.5%. She ultimately was reelected unopposed.

## Personal life

Nöördad began a relationship with Ecklander intelligence officer Nõlvi Spiitas in 1968, while both were trainees with the KKE. They requested to be sent on missions abroad together, and resided together in Bragomareș while serving in the Kashan Communist Republic of Muldania. Nöördad and Spiitas became engaged in 1970, and married later that year while on vacation home in Poorgu.

Nöördad and Spiitas have three children together: Mari-Leena, born  (1976-12-18) 18 December 1976 (age 47), Ott, born  (1979-04-12) 12 April 1979 (age 44), and Guunna, born  (1983-07-19) 19 July 1983 (age 40). All three of their children were born in the Kashan Union; Nöördad was offered two years of maternity leave for each child, but declined in order to prioritize her career. The children were raised by their maternal grandparents until 1988, when Nöördad and Spiitas returned to Eckland permanently from working abroad.

In 2014, Nöördad and Spiitas moved into the Presidential Palace of Poorgu in Palriita, after having resided in a five-bedroom home in Palriita since the 1980s. In addition to her native Eckish, Nöördad is also fluent in Forsish, Karsylvanian, Kashan, and English.