Karen Celebertti, director of the Miss Nicaragua pageant, has resigned from her position around 10 days after being accused of treason by the Nicaraguan government. Celebertti announced her retirement on social media without providing details about her future. The accusations arose after Miss Nicaragua Sheynnic Palacios won the Miss Universe title, becoming the first person from Nicaragua to achieve this. However, photos of Palacios participating in a 2018 anti-government protest circulated on the internet, leading to government anger. Celebertti was accused of promoting Palacios to target the government globally.
The Nicaraguan government initially welcomed Palacios’s victory, but President Daniel Ortega changed his stance when her links to the 2018 protest became public. Vice President Rosario Murillo alleged that “coup plotters” were planning “manufactured provocations” under the pretext of celebrating Miss Universe. Local media reported the arrest of Celebertti’s husband and son, who co-own the local Miss Universe franchise, on charges of treason. The police accused the family of remaining in communication with individuals involved in treason and conspiring to turn pageants into “traps and political ambushes, financed by foreign agents.”
Despite government allegations, Palacios has not made overtly political statements before or after winning the pageant. Celebertti and her daughter Luciana were barred from entering Nicaragua on November 22, as they returned from Mexico. The government’s response to Palacios’s victory reflects political sensitivity, with accusations of treason and alleged connections to foreign agents. Celebertti’s resignation comes amid heightened tensions and arrests within her family, raising concerns about the intersection of beauty pageants and political dynamics in Nicaragua.
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