Nicaraguan police have expressed their desire to arrest the director of the Miss Nicaragua pageant, Karen Celebertti, on charges of intentionally rigging contests to ensure that beauty queens opposed to the government would win the pageants. They claim it is part of a plot to overthrow the government. These charges would fit right in with the storyline of a vintage James Bond movie, complete with claims of coups, foreign agents, and beauty queens.
The situation began on Nov. 18 when Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios won the Miss Universe competition. The government briefly celebrated the win, but quickly changed their tone when it was revealed that Ms. Palacios had participated in anti-government protests in 2018. These protests were violently repressed by the government, which has been accused of killing 355 people.
According to the National Police, Ms. Celebertti is accused of actively participating in the terrorist actions behind the protests. She reportedly attempted to employ beauty pageants to turn contests into political traps financed by foreign agents. Although Ms. Celebertti was reportedly denied entry to the country, it was reported that her husband and son have been taken into custody.
The Nicaraguan government has reacted strongly to the celebration of Ms. Palacios’ win, with the use of the national flag by citizens enraging the government even further. Vice President and First Lady Rosario Murillo lashed out at opposition social media sites, and Mr. Ortega’s government has taken measures such as closing universities and outlawing civic groups.
Ms. Palacios has not commented on the situation, and her victory was clouded by her history of participating in anti-government protests. She had joined in spite of her initial fear, and now faces backlash.