Two judges of scandal-ridden Miss Universe-2025 pageant resign from 8-member jury, what they said?
Two Miss Universe-2025 judges have resigned just days before the annual pageant.
One of them has accused the organizers of rigging the selection process.
Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch posted on Instagram that he was resigning from the eight-member jury.
He alleged that an "improvised jury" had selected the finalists before the competition began. The pageant is scheduled to be held in Thailand on Friday.
Hours later, French football manager Claude Makélélé also announced that he was withdrawing from the competition due to "unforeseen personal reasons."
Omar Harfouch wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday, "A jury has been formed quickly to select 30 finalists from 136 countries, and none of the original jury members, including me, were included."
He said he learned this information through social media.
He claimed the unofficial jury included people "who have personal connections with some Miss Universe contestants, raising serious concerns about a conflict of interest."
These resignations come just weeks after several Miss Universe contestants walked out of a pre-event event.
They took this step following controversial remarks by a Thai official.
Miss Universe 2025 will be the 74th Miss Universe pageant, scheduled to be held at the Impact Challenger Hall in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand, on 21 November 2025. Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark will crown her successor at the conclusion of the event.