Two judges for the upcoming Miss Universe pageant have resigned just three days before the event, which is scheduled to take place in Bangkok, Thailand. Composer Omar Harfouch and former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makélélé both announced their departures within hours of each other.
Harfouch claimed on Instagram that he had learned of a secret 'impromptu jury' that was asked to select 30 finalists in advance from the 136 participating countries. He alleged that none of the official eight judges were part of this group, which he said included individuals with 'a significant potential conflict of interest' due to relationships with contestants, including the person responsible for counting votes and managing results.
After speaking with Miss Universe CEO Raul Rocha about the lack of transparency, Harfouch wrote: 'After having a disrespectful conversation with [him] about the lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process, I decided to resign from the jury and refuse to be part of this charade.' He added that he would not play the music he composed for the event.
Makélélé, in a separate statement, said he would not attend 'due to unforeseen personal reasons', expressing regret and praising the organisation's values of empowerment, diversity and excellence. He apologised to all involved and hoped to participate in future under better circumstances.
The Miss Universe Organisation responded on Instagram, denying the existence of any impromptu jury and stating that all evaluations follow 'established, transparent, and supervised' protocols. It acknowledged Harfouch's withdrawal and barred him from using any Miss Universe trademarks. The organisation urged the public to rely solely on its official communications.
The Independent has contacted Miss Universe officials for further comment.
