Miss Palestine Nadeen Ayoub slams unfair vote counting in Miss Universe category

Miss Universe 2025 has had its fair share of controversy, with walkouts, judge's resignation, host being removed, and even a contestant's nasty fall off stage. The allegations against the organisation continue even after the competition has concluded, and the 2025 title-winner was announced, with Mexico taking the crown.

Miss Universe Palestine Nadeen Ayoub has alleged unfair practices in vote counting for the 'Most beautiful people' category on the Miss Universe app. She said that the category, where she held a lead, did not close after the competition came to an end.

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With just 30 minutes left for the closing time, Nadeen "was leading by far", and within two minutes, another contestant went up by nearly 20,000 votes. Such a jump is "not realistic until its done internally", Nadeen said. Even after the category finally closed, no winner was awarded, she added.

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Social media commenters agreed with her, with several messaging Nadeen, saying that the Miss Universe app crashed and did not allow them to use their vote when they attempted to vote for Miss Palestine.

One user said that the app "made it almost impossible" to vote for Nadeen, as it kept preventing the use of free votes. It also took "twenty minutes just to cast the vote," although there were no people in the queue ahead.

Nadeen reiterated that "this is not about the award."

"I've gotten the biggest award. I've gotten the biggest crown. I've gotten the biggest prize by being Miss Palestine, by being the voice of my people and of everyone who wants to speak up."

However, she felt the need to speak out, and "stand for justice. As a Palestinian woman, I will stand up for what's right."

In 2025, Miss Universe history was made as Palestine was represented for the first time on the global stage. The pageant queen said: “I am not defined by my suffering. I am defined by my courage, my dreams, and my determination to build a future for my people." 

Nadeen also took up her historic achievement up a notch by placing in the top 30 at Miss Universe, and said "the crown has always been my people".

Brigitta Schaback and Miss Universe Estonia clash

This is not the first contestant who has locked horns with the organisation. Earlier, Brigitta Schaback, formerly known as Miss Universe Estonia, stepped down from her title, saying her values and work ethics do not align with those of the Miss Universe Estonia National Director Natalie Korneitsik.

Brigitta said she would continue to work towards women's empowement and equality independently, "without any further association with Miss Universe Estonia."

In response, the organisation called Brigitta's public comments "inappropriate, harmful to others, and not aligned with the professional conduct outlined in the Exclusive Management Agreement that all participants sign."

The organisation said that they permitted Brigitta to continue participating on the global stage despite some comments made prior to the final.

The organisation said that, after the final, Brigitta "continued to act in ways that, in our assessment, did not align with the agreement, including making unauthorised negative statements about the organisation."

Hitting back at these statements, the organisation initiated the formal process to conclude Brigitta's duties. They also stated that she is "no longer the titleholder and must not be referred to as Miss Universe Estonia in any context, nor use any titles, designations, imagery, or branding associated with the Miss Universe Estonia name."

Poojaraj Maniyeri

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pooja@khaleejtimes.com

Poojaraj Maniyeri is a Digital Journalist who loves turning everyday conversations into news stories. She is also a typical bookworm, and brings a novel with her everywhere she goes.