Debate about ESC voting: political influence or fair decision?

Debate about ESC voting: political influence or fair decision?

Basel, Schweiz - The debate about the audience voting at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) has won on a journey, and this was after the surprising second place in Israel. Yuval Raphael's Israeli contribution was highly valued by the audience, but was faced with a less positive assessment by the specialist jurors. While Raphael collected most of the audience, the Austrian JJ ultimately ended up in first place. As the Krone , the different ratings of the audience and jury arouse questions about the credibility of the voting process.

Several television channels, including RTVE from Spain, have already requested a review of the televoting. The suspicion is expressed that the current conflict in the Gaza Strip could have influenced the voting dynamics. The Belgian broadcaster VRT also expressed criticism of the voting procedure. However, ESC director Martin Green has emphasized that there has been no evidence of influencing so far. He also pointed out that the applicable security measures should ensure correct voting and evaluation.

Checking the televoting rules

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that a committee will examine the existing regulations for televoting practice. At the moment it is allowed to submit up to 20 votes per end device. Green makes it clear that there is no indications that this rule influences the end result in a disproportionate manner. Nevertheless, the Israeli American Council advertised on social media for Raphael and pointed out the multitude of possible voices.

The event of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Basel this year from May 13th to 17th, brought together a total of 37 participants. The EBU organizes the competition annually, and only countries with EBU members' television stations are eligible to participate. According to 20 minutes must be at least 16 years old and were not allowed to make political statements in their contributions.

criticism of Israel's participation

The discussion about Israel's participation in the ESC is also not new. As VRT there was no objection to participating the Israeli broadcaster. However, this continues to encounter resistance, especially artists such as the Austrian winner JJ. High -ranking discussions on the topic will take place in the coming weeks, whereby the EBU has committed to preserve neutral positions and avoid political statements.

Developments related to ESC and the discussions about the audience voting could thus have far -reaching effects on the future design of the competition. The Eurovision Song Contest is not only a musical event, but also has internationally political relevance, which the EBU has to take into account in its decisions.