Sheynnis Palacios
The recent crowning of Miss Universe has started with some controversy in what was supposed to be a celebration for the Central American nation of Nicaragua.
Earlier this month 23-year-old model Sheynnis Palacios made history when she became the first Nicaraguan to wear the crown.
Since Palacios was crowned on November 18 in San Salvador, she has been widely portrayed as a symbol of opposition to the wife of President Daniel Ortega.
On Sunday, the owner of the Miss Nicaragua franchise and her daughter were blocked from entering the country, despite their success in bringing home the crown.
In a statement to AFP, the Miss Universe Organization called on the Nicaraguan government to "ensure" the safety of those associated with the local affiliates of the pageant.
"We are working to ensure the safety of everyone affiliated with the organization, and we appeal to the Nicaraguan government to ensure their safety as well as they comply with requests," it said.
Photos showing her waving the Nicaraguan flag at anti-government protests in 2018 have gone viral, and her victory brought joyful crowds into Nicaragua's streets in the biggest public displays since such gatherings were banned five years ago.
Murillo on Wednesday blasted the publication of such photos as "malicious (and) terrorist communications that aim to transform a beautiful moment of pride and well-deserved celebration into a destructive coup."
The Nicaraguan opposition has portrayed Palacios' victory as a sign of hope.
Opposition sources said last week that government officials barred two artists from completing a mural of the new Miss Universe in the northern city of Esteli.
Photos of the unfinished fresco have circulated on social media.
"It is impossible to view this inoffensive contest without considering the political and social reality. She has become a national and emotional symbol who has restored hope. And the government understands this," prize-winning Nicaraguan journalist Wilfredo Miranda, who lives in exile in Costa Rica, told AFP.
Crowning dress
Many exiles even viewed the outfit in which Palacios was crowned -- a flowing white dress with a blue cape resembling images of Nicaragua's patron saint, the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception -- as symbolic amid a government crackdown on the Catholic Church.
A government clampdown on the 2018 protests left more than 350 dead and more than 100,000 in exile. The government has since jailed hundreds of critics.
MISS UNIVERSE 2023 IS @Sheynnispalacios_of !!!! ???? ????????@mouawad #72ndMISSUNIVERSE #MissUniverse2023 pic.twitter.com/cSHgnTKNL2
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) November 19, 2023
