Two Miss Universe judges have resigned days before the annual beauty pageant, with one of them accusing organisers of rigging the selection process.
Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch, who announced his resignation from the eight-member jury on Instagram, alleged that an impromptu jury had pre-selected finalists ahead of the competition, set to be held on Friday in Thailand.
Hours later, French football manager Claude Makélélé also announced he'd pulled out, citing unforeseen personal reasons.
The resignations come just weeks after several Miss Universe contestants walked out of a pre-pageant event over controversial comments made by an official from host nation Thailand.
An impromptu jury has been formed to select 30 finalists from among the 136 participating countries, without the presence of any of the real [eight] members of the jury, including me, Mr. Harfouch wrote in an Instagram post, saying he had discovered this via social media.
The unofficial jury comprises individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some personal relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants, he claimed.
The Miss Universe Organisation on Tuesday put out a statement to rebuff Mr. Harfouch's claims, stating that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists. They suggested Mr. Harfouch may have been referring to the Beyond the Crown program, which operates independently from the Miss Universe competition.
Mr. Makélélé, who also announced his resignation via Instagram, described it as a difficult decision, emphasizing the values of empowerment, diversity, and excellence that the Miss Universe platform represents.
Earlier this month, the competition faced backlash after its director publicly berated Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, at a pre-pageant event. The incident prompted several contestants to walk out, leading to higher scrutiny of the pageant's management.
