Last month, Sheynnis Palacios won the 2023 Miss Universe pageant representing Nicaragua. Her victory was cause for celebration across Nicaragua, but Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship perceived the celebrations taking place on the street as a threat to his power. It might seem odd and maybe even a little sad that the dictator of a nation is afraid of a pageant show model, but Palacios represents the direction in which Nicaraguan people wish to move. She comes from a humble background but achieved a university education; she represents progress, something dictators tend to fear because progress usually means ousting them from power.
