The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has released an official statement that denied allegations of having an “impromptu jury” that is supposedly selecting the finalists ahead of the coronation night. This statement comes after Omar Harfouch, who recently resigned as a judge in the prestigious competition, claimed that the finalists for the coronation night have already been chosen.
In his Instagram stories, the musician claimed that there has been an impromptu jury that selected the 30 finalists without the “presence of any of the real 8 members of the jury.”
"The results of this selection are currently being kept secret," he previously said.
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The MUO quickly addressed the accusations thrown by the musician as the organization felt the need to “clarify certain inaccuracies” regarding the official judging process of the prestigious competition.
“On November 17, the Miss Universe Organization publicly released the official selection committee of the Beyond the Crown Program, an independent social impact initiative designed to promote leadership, service, education, health, inclusion, and meaningful support for charitable causes. This program operates entirely separately from the Miss Universe competition and from the official judging panel,” the statement wrote.
The organization added that the judge made incorrect comments about the said program and assured people that no official judges were excluded from the selection of the finalists.
“The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,” they added.
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They then shared that his withdrawal as one of the official judges was accepted and maintained that he can no longer associate himself with any of the trademarks, service marks, logos, titles, and registered properties of the MUO.
“All procedures remain governed by the organization’s highest standards of transparency, integrity, and fairness,” they shared.
The coronation night of the 74th Miss Universe is set to happen this November 21 in Thailand. Ahtisa Manalo of the Philippines is eyeing to take home the fifth crown of the country.