Two judges have resigned from the Miss Universe pageant days before its final competition, with one citing alleged irregularities in the selection process. The 74th Miss Universe pageant is scheduled to take place on Friday in Bangkok, Thailand.
Judge Resignations
Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch announced his resignation from the eight-member jury via Instagram on Tuesday. Mr. Harfouch stated that an "impromptu jury" had pre-selected 30 finalists from 136 participating countries without the presence of official jury members. He claimed that this unofficial jury included "individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some personal relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants." Mr. Harfouch did not provide further details on the function of this "impromptu jury" or how it would influence the official jury's decisions.
Hours following Harfouch's announcement, French football manager Claude Makélélé also stated his withdrawal from the jury, citing "unforeseen personal reasons."
Related Events
These resignations occur weeks after several Miss Universe contestants left a pre-pageant event. This walkout followed comments made by an official from the host nation, Thailand.