Kersti Kaljulaid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kersti Kaljulaid
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Kaljulaid in 2018
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| 5th President of Estonia | |
| In office 10 October 2016 – 11 October 2021 |
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| Prime Minister | Taavi Rõivas Jüri Ratas Kaja Kallas |
| Preceded by | Toomas Hendrik Ilves |
| Succeeded by | Alar Karis |
| Member of the European Court of Auditors | |
| In office 7 May 2004 – 30 September 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Juhan Parts |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 December 1969 Tartu, Estonia |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations |
Pro Patria Union (2001–2004) |
| Spouse |
Georgi-Rene Maksimovski
(m. 2011) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Raimond Kaljulaid (half-brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Tartu |
Kersti Kaljulaid (born 30 December 1969) is an Estonian politician. She was the fifth president of Estonia from 2016 to 2021. She was the first and only female head of state in Estonia since it became independent in 1918. She was also the youngest president, becoming president at age 46.
Before becoming president, Kaljulaid worked as Estonia's representative in the European Court of Auditors. This is a special court that checks the European Union's money. She became a candidate for president in the sixth round of the 2016 Estonian presidential election. Most political parties in the Estonian parliament supported her. On 3 October 2016, she was voted president with 81 votes.
In 2024, she was chosen as the next president of the Estonian Olympic Committee. She will lead it for four years.
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Early life and education
Kersti Kaljulaid finished Tallinn Secondary School no. 44 in 1987. While she was there, she was part of the Students' Scientific Association. She focused on ornithology, which is the study of birds.
In 1992, she graduated from the University of Tartu with honors as a biologist. She is also a member of a group for Estonian female students called Filiae Patriae. In 2001, she earned another degree from the University of Tartu. This time, it was an MBA in business management. Her special project was about improving how state-founded organizations are managed.
Career
Business work
From 1996 to 1997, Kaljulaid was a sales manager at Eesti Telefon, a state-owned telecom company. Then, from 1997 to 1998, she was a project manager at Hoiupanga Investeeringute AS. From 1998 to 1999, she worked in the investment part of Hansabank.
From 1999 to 2002, Kaljulaid was an economic advisor to the Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar. From 2002 to 2004, she was the director of the Iru Power Plant. This power plant is part of the state-owned energy company Eesti Energia. She was the first woman to lead a power plant in Estonia.
In 2004, Estonia joined the European Union. Kaljulaid was chosen to be Estonia's representative at the European Court of Auditors. Since 2011, she has also been the head of the board at the University of Tartu.
Political work
Kaljulaid describes herself as a liberal conservative. This means she believes in a strong community where the government doesn't interfere too much. She also thinks it's very important to help people who are in need. She has modern views on social topics like LGBT rights and immigration.
She often writes articles in Estonian newspapers. These articles talk about Estonia's place in the European Union and about social and economic issues. She also took part in political talk shows on Radio Kuku.
From 2001 to 2004, Kaljulaid was a member of the Pro Patria Union political party. However, she did not run in any elections during that time.
Her time at the European Court of Auditors was supposed to end in May 2016. In November 2015, she was chosen to lead the PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies. She stayed at the European Court of Auditors a bit longer because her replacement wasn't chosen in time.
In September 2016, a new group at the Estonian Parliament chose Kaljulaid to be its leader.
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President of Estonia
After several tries to elect a new president failed in 2016, a group of important members of the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) asked Kaljulaid if she would be a candidate. She agreed, and they suggested her as the only candidate for the vote on 3 October 2016. Her candidacy was officially recorded on 30 September.
The Speaker of the Riigikogu, Eiki Nestor, believed she would get enough votes. She was supported by 90 members of parliament. She won the election with 81 votes. Only 17 members chose not to vote, and no one voted against her. The only party that said they would not support her was EKRE, which had 7 votes.
In Estonia, the president is mostly a ceremonial figure. This means the president does not have much direct power to make laws or run the government. The power to run the country belongs to the Government. Still, Kaljulaid's election was very important because she was the first woman to be the head of state in Estonia's history.
When she was a candidate, some people said she was not well-known. Kaljulaid promised to become more visible by visiting different parts of the country and talking to people. In October 2016, a survey showed that 73% of people approved of her.
In 2020, the Estonian government suggested Kaljulaid to lead the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This is a big international group. In January 2021, Kaljulaid decided not to continue her candidacy. She felt it was not the best time to leave her role as president because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia.
In January 2021, the Social Democratic Party said they would support Kaljulaid if she ran for a second term as president. If the government had also nominated her, she would have had enough votes to be re-elected by the Riigikogu. However, by June 2021, the government seemed less interested in her serving a second term. They thought she was too divisive. Kaljulaid still wanted to run, but she did not get enough support from members of parliament to be a candidate.
Life after politics
After her time as president ended in 2021, Kaljulaid helped start the President Kaljulaid Foundation. This is a non-profit group that works to support democracy. It also helps people who are vulnerable and looks at how technology affects society. For example, the foundation has raised about €400,000 to help Ukrainian journalists and schools.
In 2021, Kaljulaid was part of a group that advised the World Bank for their World Development Report. Since 2022, she has been a co-leader of the non-political Global Tech Security Commission. This group works to protect freedom from countries that use technology to control people.
In 2023, the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres chose Kaljulaid to co-lead a special UN group. This group focuses on improving the teaching profession.
Since October 2024, she has been the president of the Estonian Olympic Committee.
Other activities
Kersti Kaljulaid is also involved in several other important groups:
- Munich Security Conference, Member of the Advisory Council (since 2023)
- Atlantic Council, Member of the International Advisory Board
- Centre for European Reform (CER), Member of the Advisory Board
- Council of Women World Leaders, Member
- European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Member of the Council
- GLOBSEC, Member of the International Advisory Council
- Yalta European Strategy (YES), Member of the Board
- Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Member of the Board
Recognition
In 2017, Kaljulaid became the first Estonian to be on Forbes magazine's list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She was ranked 78th on this list. She was also ranked 22nd among the most influential female political leaders.
Honours
Kersti Kaljulaid has received many important awards and honors from Estonia and other countries.
National honours
Grand Master and Collar of the Order of the National Coat of Arms (2016)
Grand Master of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
Grand Master of the Order of the White Star
Grand Master of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle
Grand Master of the Order of the Estonian Red Cross
Foreign honours
Austria: Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (2021)
Finland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (2017)
Germany Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2023)
Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2018)
Latvia: Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars (2019)
Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (2018)
Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (2019)
Romania: Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania (2021)
Slovenia: Recipient of the Order for Exceptional Merits (2019)
Ukraine: First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class (2021)
Awards
- In 2009, she was named European of the Year by European Movement Estonia.
- In 2014, she received the Award of Unity from the Open Estonia Foundation. This was for her clear explanations of how the European Union works for people in Estonia.
- In 2020, the Estonian LGBT Association gave her the Rainbow Hero Award. This was for her public support of the gay community in Estonia.
Personal life
Kersti Kaljulaid has a daughter and a son from her first marriage. She is also a grandmother to three grandchildren. Her second husband is Georgi-Rene Maksimovski. They have two sons together. Kaljulaid's half-brother, Raimond Kaljulaid, is also a politician and a member of parliament.
Besides Estonian, Kaljulaid can speak English, Finnish, French, and some Russian.
See also
In Spanish: Kersti Kaljulaid para niños
- List of official overseas trips made by Kersti Kaljulaid
- 2016 Estonian presidential election
- Raimond Kaljulaid
