Prime Minister Josephine Alvarez this morning announced that she would be attending the 2021 International Women’s Congress in Kerlile. The IWC, which was planned for this month but pushed back to August due to flooding in the Kerlian capital damaging the planned venue, is a biannual conference promoting women’s rights globally. This will be the 65th IWC and the first to take place in Kerlile since 1977.
Alvarez’s announcement was met with shock, given the poor diplomatic relations between Kerlile and Lauchenoiria dating back decades. No sitting Prime Minister of Lauchenoiria has visited Kerlile since the Matriarchy was founded. Though the two states maintain official relations, tensions have been consistently high for the last century, with the two countries going to war on two occasions, in the 1990s and three years ago in 2018.
The Matriarchy of Kerlile, upon being granted hosting rights by the organising committee, extended an open invitation to all female foreign leaders including Alvarez. Though she is not the only leader to accept – President Liu Mei-han of Laeral has already confirmed attendance alongside many other politicians of democratic states – this is by far the most shocking announcement given the state of relations.
Controversial far-right Lauchenoiria First leader Paul Doberman condemned the decision, claiming the the Prime Minister was a Kerlian spy and part of the Aurora Programme, a claim repeatedly made by Mr Doberman about a number of politicians from various countries and never verified. He also claimed that she was being ‘brainwashed’ by Councillor Jennifer Hale of Kerlile, who she is still legally married to, through a microchip inserted in her brain.
The Council of Kerlile have confirmed they have received notice that Alvarez plans to attend the IWC and have provided public reassurances that all delegates to the conference will be granted full diplomatic immunity. The new conference date is yet to be confirmed, but it is likely that it will begin in early August. The application deadline for delegations and stalls has been extended to the 31st July from the initial deadline of the 31st May.
