Organizers: Miss Dominican Republic is Mrs
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The woman recently named Miss Dominican Republic will have to relinquish her crown because she is married, organizers of the contest said.
The rules state that those vying for the crown must be single. But Magaly Febles, director of the Miss Domincan Republic contest, said Tuesday it had been discovered that recent winner Carlina Duran was married in 2009.
Contest organizers scheduled a Wednesday night news conference to give the crown to the first runner-up, 24-year-old Dulcita Lieggi.
Duran has not commented publicly on the discovery of her true marital status.
The 25-year-old Duran, who owns a spa in Santo Domingo, hails from the town of La Vega, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) north of the nation's capital. She was crowned Miss Dominican Republic on April 17 and was to represent her country at the Miss Universe contest.
Febles told the Dominican television news program "Noticias SIN" on Tuesday night that Duran acknowledged she is married. The Dominican newspaper Diario Libre reported on its website earlier in the day that a marriage license showed she was wed on June 6, 2009.
