Ilzabete Kafriti

**Ilzabete Kafriti** (born 18 May 1973) is a Notoshan politician and stateswoman who has served as president of Notosha since 2014. An independent politician, Kafriti was the first woman and youngest person ever to be elected president in Notoshan history.

Born in Astina to a prominent family, Kafriti graduated from secondary school in 1991, and subsequently enrolled in the University of Astina, where she graduated with a degree in psychology in 1994. After graduating, Kafriti moved to Munbach in order to enroll in King's University Munbach, where she studied criminal justice. Kafriti graduated with a master's degree in criminal justice in 1996. In the midst of the Notosha War (1994–2000), Kafriti remained in Munbach following her graduation, and worked as a crime statistics analyst for the Lungarian Ministry of Justice. She returned to Astina in 2001, following the end of the war, and was hired as director-general at the newly formed Notoshan Ministry of Justice. Kafriti continued in this role for nine years, until leaving to become deputy director of the newly formed State Intelligence Service of Notosha (SHIN) in 2010. She was promoted to director of the SHIN in 2012, later resigning from the position in 2014.

Kafriti entered politics in 2014, after she was proposed by the New Notosha Alliance to serve as a candidate in the upcoming 2014 presidential election, as a challenger to incumbent Gazmadh Xhanari. After declaring her candidacy, Kafriti emerged as the election's clear frontrunner. As Notoshan presidential elections are decided by parliament, the majority coalition effectively can elect whomever they choose. Since the New Notosha Alliance held a majority, their selection of Kafriti as their preferred candidate sealed her fate as the likely winner. She ultimately won the election, and took office on 20 September 2014, becoming the youngest person and first woman to serve as president of Notosha. During her tenure, Kafriti pledged to focus on strengthening the image of Notosha abroad, in addition to strengthening Notosha's relations with the remainder of Eurea. She was reelected to a second term in the 2018 presidential election. Since her election in 2014, Kafriti has been ranked as one of the one-hundred most powerful women in the world each year consecutively.

## Early life and education

Kafriti was born on 18 May 1973 in Astina to parents Argjend Kafriti (1940–2009) and Zemërore Celaj (born 1942). The family was upper-class and a family of prominence within Notoshan society; her father was a business magnate who invested in a number of companies both abroad and in Notosha, which earned the family expansive wealth. Meanwhile, her mother came from a well-connected political family in Asbania, and was a homemaker. Kafriti is the youngest of four children and only daughter; her elder brothers are Ujkan, born  (1968-06-07) 7 June 1968 (age 55), Ardit (1970–1998), and Bejkush, born  (1971-11-29) 29 November 1971 (age 52). Ardit was a member of the Notoshan Liberation Army and was killed during the Notosha War (1994–2000).

Kafriti began her education in 1979, attending public, primary schooling in Astina. In 1984, Kafriti transferred from her public school to an all-girls private primary school. She graduated from primary school in 1987, and subsequently enrolled in a public secondary school. While in secondary school, Kafriti was a gifted student who was interested in becoming a psychiatrist. She graduated in 1991, and subsequently enrolled in the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Astina, graduating with a degree in psychology in 1994. After her graduation, Kafriti moved to Munbach to enroll in King's University Munbach as an international student, studying a graduate program in criminal justice. She graduated with her degree in 1996, and wrote her master's thesis on women in the prison systems of fascist nations.

## Career

While living in Munbach as a graduate student, the Notosha War (1994–2000) broke out and she was unable to return home following her graduation in 1996, making Kafriti effectively a displaced person. Following the death of her elder brother in 1998, the remainder of her family temporarily left Notosha in order to stay in Munbach. While living in Munbach, Kafriti was hired as a crime statistics analyst by the Lungarian Ministry of Justice. She was given an emergency work visa by the Lungarian government after registering as a displaced person due to the Notosha War.

In 2001, Kafriti and her family left Munbach and returned to Notosha in the aftermath of the war. Due to international interference, the territory of Notosha was granted an autonomous government as the Autonomous Province of Notosha within the Republic of Lorbia, and has had peacekeepers from the Supranational Council stationed in the territory since then. With the establishment of Notosha's autonomous government, Kafriti was hired to serve as director-general of the newly formed Notoshan Ministry of Justice. A non-partisan official, Kafriti oversaw the ministry in an apolitical sense, and ran the ministry on a day-to-day basis. Kafriti served in this position for nine years, until leaving to serve as deputy director of the State Intelligence Service of Notosha (SHIN) in 2010. The SHIN was formed shortly after the declaration of Notoshan independence as Notosha's chief intelligence agency. In 2012, she became the agency's director, making Notosha the first former fascist nation to have a woman head its chief intelligence agency.

## President of Notosha

Kafriti first began receiving media attention in 2012, after becoming the director of the State Intelligence Service of Notosha (SHIN). Kafriti received praise from politicians, the media, and the public for her performance in the role, seeking to protect Notoshans from Lorbia, Shina, and Kasha, which she described as "major threats to peace."

Following the 2014 parliamentary election, the New Notosha Alliance took control of the State Assembly. With Notosha's political system, presidential elections are held after parliamentary elections, with the winner of the presidential election being decided by the newly sworn-in parliament; because of this, the governing coalition of the State Assembly effectively may choose the president. Following the confirmation of the parliamentary election results, the media began reporting that the New Notosha Alliance was seeking out a presidential candidate in order to replace the incumbent Gazmadh Xhanari, who had been the preferred candidate of the Democratic Notosha coalition, which now was in the opposition. In July 2014, the media began reporting that Kafriti had emerged as the New Notosha Alliance's preferred candidate in the election, and she officially declared her candidacy on 18 August 2014. The 2014 presidential election was held in parliament on 5 September, where Kafriti won 62.5% of the parliamentary ballots and was elected president of Notosha, later being sworn in on 20 September. With her swearing-in, Kafriti became the first woman to hold the office.

As president, Kafriti serves in a ceremonial role and wields no real power. A figurehead leader, she serves as a unifying figure for Notosha who is free from political discourse and partisanship, instead focusing on representing the nation on an international and domestic scale. The president cannot veto bills and is constitutionally mandated to not be affiliated with a political party, but signs all passed legislation, formally appoints all ministers, and is the ceremonial commander-in-chief of the Notosha Defense Forces. After being elected president, Kafriti gave a series of speeches in which she promised to strengthen the image of Notosha abroad, in addition to strengthening its relations with Eurea. As president, she took on a number of philanthropic ventures, such as advocating for criminal justice reform in Notosha and for the prioritization of education and literacy. Kafriti also was invited as a guest to a number of women's rights conferences throughout the world. In the 2018 presidential election, she was elected to a second term, becoming the only Notoshan president to win a second term in office.

## Personal life

Kafriti began a relationship with Notoshan engineer Ladan Idrizi in 2001. They became engaged in 2003, and later married the following year. They have two sons together: Pishak, born  (2005-08-01) 1 August 2005 (age 18), and Gjokë, born  (2007-02-22) 22 February 2007 (age 16). The family resided in Kadare, a village outside of Astina until 2020, in a home that they constructed themselves. After the unveiling of the Presidential Palace in July 2020, the family began residing there.

Kafriti holds dual citizenship to Notosha and Asbania, receiving Asbanian citizenship through her mother whose maternal family originated in Liana. She is fluent in Asbanian, Lorbian, Lungarian, and Ditrovian, and is a Eurean Muslim.