Artist Who Accused Miss Universe of 'Lack of Transparency' to Judge Miss Grand International All Stars

Vietnamese beauty pageant enthusiasts are closely watching the upcoming Miss Grand International All Stars competition, particularly following the appointment of renowned pianist and composer Omar Harfouch as a judge. This decision carries significant weight given Harfouch's recent public resignation from a judging role at Miss Universe.

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With as a member of the Miss Universe jury, I want to express my deep confusion and concern after discovering via social media that a 'temporary' jury had selected 30 finalists without the presence of any official member of the 8 judges, including myself.

Harfouch's departure from the Miss Universe judging panel was notably abrupt, stemming from his expressed concerns about a perceived lack of transparency in the contestant selection process. He had voiced his bewilderment and deep concern after discovering that a "temporary" judging panel had apparently selected finalists without the involvement of the official eight judges, including himself. This situation led to his immediate resignation.

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Mr. Omar Harfouch - who previously agreed to be one of the 8 official judges of Miss Universe - posted a statement expressing confusion and lack of understanding about the scope and nature of the social program like Beyond the Crown.

The Miss Universe Organization, however, issued a swift response to Harfouch's statements. They clarified that he had agreed to be an official judge and that his comments stemmed from a misunderstanding of the social program 'Beyond the Crown.' The organization firmly denied the existence of any temporary or external judging panel, asserting that all evaluations adhered strictly to their established, transparent procedures. Harfouch's decision to now join the Miss Grand International All Stars panel, returning to Thailand, has therefore garnered considerable attention.

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There was no temporary jury formed, no external group authorized to evaluate contestants or select finalists, and all evaluations in the competition continued to follow the transparent procedures and supervision of the Miss Universe Organization.