Internationally successful Dominican model, Selinee Mendez will represent the Dominican Republic in the Miss Universe Pageant to be held during the first week of May in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 1996 she won the Top Model of the World contest held in Portugal. This is the first time that the Dominican representative to the Miss Universe contest is not chosen during the national beauty pageant. Miss Mendez herself had placed fourth in the 1996 Miss Dominican Republic contest. Nerys Díaz, organizer of the Miss Dominican Republic contest, explained that internal changes in the structure of Miss Universe reflected on delays in foreign organization. She explained that the selection committee felt that Miss Mendez had the physical beauty, intellect and experience in international pageants to be a possible winner of the title. Miss Mendez is long-haired, long-limbed, dark skinned and has light-colored eyes. Díaz explained that the representative in the 1999 Miss Universe and Miss World contests would be chosen in the contest that will be held at a date that will be set from August to October.
