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 competition, held in El Salvador on 18 November.
“It came as a surprise, and triggered spontaneous expressions of delight,” said Elvira Cuadra, a Nicaraguan sociologist who lives in exile in Costa Rica.
Palacios comes from a low-income family who sold fried dough balls known as buñuelos to put her through university. And she took part in the 2018 protests, which sought to topple President Daniel Ortega, a 78-year-old former revolutionary hero who helped end the four-decade Somoza dictatorship but has since turned Nicaragua into an authoritarian state. The protests lasted three months before being crushed, with more than 320 killed.
Esta historia es de la edición December 15, 2023 de The Guardian Weekly.
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