The Miss Venezuela pageant was held for the third consecutive year on the terrace of a shopping center in Caracas, far from the luxury of the grand stages of the past in this country in crisis. One of Venezuela’s most traditional pageants, Miss Venezuela, crowned Clara Vegas Goetz, the candidate from the state of Miranda, who will represent Venezuela in the Miss Universe pageant in 2026. Vegas Goetz is the daughter of Andreína Goetz, Miss Venezuela 1990, and was among the favorites. The event was a night filled with lights, music, and sequins, seen by some in the audience as a respite from the tension over the United States military deployment in the Caribbean. During the swimsuit parade, the presenter celebrated "Venezuelan identity." In the final parade, there was music dedicated to Venezuela, traditional costumes, and many flags. This is a sensitive issue in Venezuela, especially after the United States deployed the world's largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, along with warships and thousands of soldiers. Many attendees came in long sequined dresses, high heels, or tuxedos. A firecracker suddenly went off in the distance. Vegas Goetz succeeds Stephany Abasali, who finished as second runner-up in this international competition two weeks ago. "In Venezuela, Miss Venezuela comes first, then baseball, and third football," said Oswan Vegas, a 23-year-old student. Makeup artists Jorge Guillén and Jean Piero Torrealba, aged 52 and 45, religiously attend Miss Venezuela. "This takes you out of that reality," Torrealba told AFP, without directly referring to the crisis with the United States. Washington maintains that the deployment is part of anti-drug trafficking operations, although President Nicolás Maduro insists that the objective is to overthrow him and seize the country's wealth. "Oh no, we've been invaded!" joked a woman.
