She is pretty and driving a leftist dictator crazy
As you may know, Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua is now Miss Universe. Based on my Latino heritage, the Miss Universe pageant is like the Super Bowl for most women in the Spanish-speaking world.
I recall my mother and sister sitting in front of the T.V. and watching these pageants with passion and interest.
The Nicaraguan regime, paranoid about any hint of dissidence, initially congratulated Palacios, but has since cracked down on celebrations – not least because Palacios herself took part in the 2018 demonstrations, and opponents of the regime have taken her up as a symbol of hope and defiance.
Palacios, 23, became the first Miss Universe from Central America at this year’s edition of the competition, held in El Salvador on 18 November.
So Miss Universe participated in an anti government protest in 2018?
Yes, she did, along with many others.
I believe that a photo of the young woman protesting has gone viral.
What scares “the you know what” is her story.
She comes from a low-income family and worked her way to pay for school by selling fried dough balls (buñuelos).
She is not the daughter of a rich family but rather than a simple girl and that connects with many Nicaraguans.
So the Ortega regime is worried that the new Miss Universe represents a threat to their repressive regime.
After all, she wore a blue and white evening gown with the nation’s colors (she said it was in honor of the Virgin Mary, but the colors are the same), sparking patriotism and national pride.
Why is Ortega so worried?
Since the crushed revolt of 2018, Nicaragua’s slide towards authoritarianism has accelerated.
“We have seen a total demolition of freedoms and liberties,” said Pappier. “More than 300 people have been stripped of their nationality. Half of the NGOs that existed have been shut down. And there are still more than 80 political prisoners behind bars.”
The Catholic church, which Ortega accused of promoting a coup d’état in 2018, has also been persecuted.
The Universidad Centroamericana, a Jesuit university attended by Palacios and described by the government as “a centre of terrorism”, was recently shut down.
Rolando Álvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa, who refused to be deported to the US along with 222 other political prisoners in February, has been sentenced to 26 years in prison.
“I don’t think there is something we can call civic or public life today in Nicaragua,” said Pappier. “The repression is absolute.”
Since 2018, at least 600,000 Nicaraguans have left the country, mostly to the United States and Costa Rica.
And then a young pretty woman wins the beauty contest and the country has reasons to go out and celebrate and express their discontent with Ortega as well.
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