Atifete Jahjaga (Albanian pronunciation: [atiˈfɛtɛ jahˈjaɡa]; born 20 April 1975) is a Kosovar politician who served as President of Kosovo from 2011 to 2016. She is the first woman and the first non-partisan candidate to hold the office and is also the youngest elected president of Kosovo. Prior to her presidency, Jahjaga served as Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police, holding the rank of General Lieutenant Colonel, the highest rank achieved by a female officer in Southeastern Europe.

Jahjaga, a Kosovo Albanian, was born in Gjakova, which was then part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Her paternal ancestry is from Berisha in northern Albania. She completed her elementary and secondary education in Gjakova and graduated from the University of Pristina with a degree in Law in 2000. In 2006/07, she completed a graduate and certificate program in police management and criminal law at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. Jahjaga also received professional training at the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies in Germany, the FBI National Academy in the United States, and earned a postgraduate certification in Crime Science from the University of Virginia in 2007.

After the Kosovo War, Jahjaga completed the Kosovo Police Academy to become an officer and was gradually promoted through the ranks, initially to major, then colonel, and ultimately to major general.

Jahjaga served as the Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police and briefly held the position of acting General Director in 2010. During her time in the Kosovo Police, she gained attention from American officers and diplomats, who presented her to senior U.S. officials on special occasions as a representative of a new generation of Kosovar civil servants.

Following a political crisis in Kosovo, which began with the resignation of President Fatmir Sejdiu and was followed by the Constitutional Court's decision against the election of Behgjet Pacolli as President of Kosovo, Jahjaga was announced on 6 April 2011 as a consensus candidate for the office of President. Her candidacy was supported by the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Democratic League of Kosovo and the New Kosovo Alliance, as well as by the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Christopher Dell. Dell urged parliament members to vote in her favor.

Although Jahjaga had a positive reputation as a police commander, she emerged from relative obscurity as a candidate for the highest office in the state, with many public and political figures unaware of her political views. On 7 April 2011, Jahjaga was elected President in the first round of voting by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo. Of the 100 MPs present, 80 voted in favor of Jahjaga, while 10 voted for Suzan Novoberdali. She remains the only president to be elected in the first round of voting. Kosovo's first president, Ibrahim Rugova, received more votes, having been appointed by the Parliament in 2002 with an 88-3 vote in the third round of voting.

In her inaugural address, Jahjaga emphasized her primary goal as President: guiding Kosovo on a secure path toward membership in the European Union and the United Nations. She stated, "The ideal of all Kosovo is membership in the EU and a permanent friendship with the United States. I believe and I am convinced our dreams will come true."

Since taking office in April 2011, President Jahjaga focused on strengthening democratic institutions in Kosovo and worked to enhance the country's international recognition. Her activities included advocating for a European and Euro-Atlantic integration agenda, supporting initiatives for reconciliation and tolerance, promoting regional cooperation, and encouraging foreign investment.