CARACAS, Venezuela — The newly crowned Miss Universe returned to her native Venezuela on Saturday to celebrate her historic selection, saying the nation would go for its third consecutive win at next year’s pageant.
Stefania Fernandez, 18, was welcomed at the airport with a red carpet and flowers.
“Nothing is impossible, Venezuela!” she said, stepping off the plane in a blue dress and sparkling crown.
Asked what she would say to Colombian rocker Juanes regarding his controversial “Peace Without Borders” concert in Havana on Sunday, Fernandez said she believes that musicians, like beauty queens, “are always here to unite, not to create one more problem in the world.”
Sunday’s concert has drawn criticism in the Cuban-American exile community, where many complain Juanes is endorsing the island’s communist system. Organizers insist the show has no ideological overtones.
