Miss Universe judge Claude Makélélé resigns before pageant: All you need to know

The 74th Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, Thailand, has been thrown into chaos just days before the final on Friday, November 21st, after the sudden resignations of two high-profile judges.

Miss Universe pageant hit by judge resignations and rigging claims

French football legend Claude Makélélé announced on Instagram that he would "regretfully" no longer be attending, offering a brief statement that simply thanked fans for their "understanding and support."

However, his exit also comes hot on the heels of composer Omar Harfouch's sensational departure, with its explosive allegations of an unfair and opaque selection process.

Claims of secret jury

In a series of Instagram Stories, Omar shared his "profound confusion and concern," claiming he discovered through social media that an "impromptu jury" had pre-selected 30 finalists from the 136 participating countries.

The composer claimed this unofficial group, convened without any of the official eight judges, had "significant potential conflict of interest" due to personal relationships with some contestants, including the person in charge of counting the votes. Omar said his final decision to resign came after a "disrespectful conversation" with Miss Universe CEO Raul Rocha regarding the lack of transparency, concluding he would "refuse to be part of this charade."

Miss Universe organisation denies allegations

The Miss Universe Organisation has wasted no time in dismissing all accusations of wrongdoing, releasing a statement to "clear up some inaccuracies."

"The Miss Universe Organization categorically confirms that no ad hoc jury has been established, that no third party entity has been commissioned to grade delegates or to determine finalists," the statement said, reassuring the public that all judging is done according to "established, transparent, and monitored MUO guidelines." Following Omar's withdrawal, the MUO did the unprecedented move to publicly ban the former judge from using or making reference to any of its trademarks. The twin resignations come against a backdrop of controversies hounding the pageant, which earlier this month witnessed a public spat between a pageant executive and Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch. The MUO has urged the public to rely only on verified communications as the date of the event approaches.

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