This week was marked by a dramatic twist in the world of international pageants: Olivia Yacé, representing Ivory Coast and a finalist in Miss Universe 2025, won the new online competition organized by Omar Harfouch . This new competition, broadcast on Instagram, took place just days after the rigged election of Mexican contestant Fátima Bosch at Miss Universe.
With his new election, Omar Harfouch is doing justice to the real winner after the rigged Miss Universe election.
Following the scandal that engulfed Miss Universe, whose election was completely rigged, Omar Harfouch, a former jury member who first denounced the scandal, declared his intention to give the public a voice. To this end, he launched a new election directly on his Instagram account, presenting it as "democratic and transparent ." Claiming to be "the sole legitimate judge of the Miss Universe 2025 competition ," Harfouch invited internet users to choose between Miss Ivory Coast, Miss Philippines, Miss Venezuela, and Miss Thailand against Miss Mexico.
In recent days, Omar Harfouch's posts have been viewed over 50 million times on Instagram; 5,2 million unique visitors accessed his page just for this new election, generating a total of 323,000 votes. These figures legitimize this new election, demonstrating massive engagement from the international public who came to cast their votes outside the official, and completely rigged, channels.
Olivia Yacé is far ahead in the voting
Following the vote, Omar Harfouch announced, "The race is over ." He proclaimed Olivia Yacé the winner with 56% of the vote, ahead of Miss Philippines with 36%, Miss Venezuela with 6%, and Miss Thailand with 1%. He stated that this result reflected the will of the people, contradicting the verdict delivered during the official ceremony.
Omar Harfouch pointed out that this undeniable result did justice to the Misses who had been wronged during a "biased" process which he refuses to acknowledge.
The reaction of Olivia Yacé and the Ivorian committee
Already very popular in Ivory Coast since her 2021 national crowning, Olivia Yacé found herself at the center of this global media storm. The Miss Ivory Coast Committee openly supported Omar Harfouch's actions and confirmed that the Ivorian candidate was withdrawing from the Miss Universe competition.
A few days ago, Olivia Yacé had already relinquished all her commitments related to the organization, including the title of "Miss Universe Africa & Oceania". She explained this withdrawal by citing her desire to remain true to her principles: dignity, equal opportunities, respect and integrity.
An unprecedented controversy
As a reminder, the controversy surrounding Miss Universe erupted when, three days before the final, Omar Harfouch resigned from the judging panel. His decision was justified by a series of serious irregularities: according to him, 106 countries were "unfairly and secretly eliminated" before the competition even began. He also claimed that "makeshift judges" had been brought in behind the scenes to determine the finalists, a process he considered opaque. The day before Fátima Bosch's election, Omar Harfouch had announced in an interview with HBO that she would be crowned the winner, and that under no circumstances could he endorse this "false winner."
The Miss Universe competition is weakened by an unprecedented protest.
The affair caused an unprecedented shockwave in the history of Miss Universe. Accusations of fraud, suspicions of internal manipulation, questions about the selection of finalists, and the organization of a counter-election followed worldwide plunged the competition into a crisis of legitimacy.
Although Olivia Yacé's victory via Instagram did not take place within the formal Miss Universe framework, it nevertheless stands out as a highly legitimate, symbolic event supported by a massive mobilization.
More than ever, the 2025 edition could establish itself as a decisive turning point, redefining how the public perceives international beauty pageants and their credibility.
