Ex-beauty queen is President’s 2nd ‘surprise’ appointment

Santo Domingo.- “You have to go, you must go to Mexico now. I don’t want that what I’ve done with you to be misinterpreted as a favor. I’m confident in your ability and you have to go to work," was president Danilo Medina’s message, after taking the oath from former beauty queen Nikauly de la Mota, designated Monday to a post in the Dominican Embassy in Mexico.

De la Mota becomes the second person ‘surprised’ by a presidential appointment, after Andres Navarro revealed that he learned of being named Foreign Relations Minister through the press.

Quoted by newspaper El Caribe, the hostess of the TV program ‘Arriba con Nikauly’ said she’s aware that her appointment bears a subtle message that she forms part of the new group Medina has chosen to transform Dominican Republic’s foreign policy and diplomatic practice abroad.

"I really didn’t expect this nomination, but during the year in which I campaigned with President Medina and the two years he’s already governed we’ve become very close and talking about the President’s concern regarding women entering into more posts in public office," said the former Miss Tourism, who was in Puerto Rico when appointed and learned of it on social networks.