Kersti Kaljulaid

Kersti Kaljulaid
Kaljulaid in 2018
5th President of Estonia
In office
10 October 2016 – 11 October 2021
Prime MinisterTaavi Rõivas
Jüri Ratas
Kaja Kallas
Preceded byToomas Hendrik Ilves
Succeeded byAlar Karis
Member of the European Court of Auditors
In office
7 May 2004 – 30 September 2016
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byJuhan Parts
Personal details
Born (1969-12-30) 30 December 1969 (age 54)
Tartu, Estonia
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations
Pro Patria Union
(2001–2004)
Spouse
(m. 2011)
Children4
RelativesRaimond Kaljulaid (half-brother)
Alma materUniversity of Tartu
Kersti Kaljulaid at the Opinion Festival 2021 in Paide, Estonia

Kersti Kaljulaid (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈkersʲːtʲi ˈkɑlʲːjuˈlɑi̯ːːt]; born 30 December 1969) is an Estonian politician who served as the fifth president of Estonia between 2016 and 2021, and was its first and only female head of state since the country declared independence in 1918. She was also the youngest president, aged 46 at the time of her election.[1]

Kaljulaid, a state official who at the time served as Estonia's representative in the European Court of Auditors,[2] entered the 2016 Estonian presidential election race in the sixth round after five previous unsuccessful rounds. She was nominated on 30 September 2016 by the majority of parliamentary parties as a joint candidate for president, and the only official candidate for the sixth round. Kaljulaid was voted president on 3 October 2016, with 81 votes and 17 abstentions.[3][4]

  1. ^ Former European auditor Kersti Kaljulaid elected president of Estonia Estonian World, 2 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference pm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Kersti Kaljulaid sai 81 häälega uueks Eesti presidendiks ERR, 3 October 2016 (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 October 2016
  4. ^ "Estonia's parliament elects country's first female president". Reuters. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.