Spanish, Belgian broadcasters say Eurovision televoting ‘encourages manipulation' after Israel's result at contest
LONDON: Spanish and Belgian broadcasters have accused Eurovision Song Contest organizers of 'encouraging manipulation' after the Israeli contestant won their public vote and came second in the 2025 competition.
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RTVE, Spain's public broadcaster, and the Flemish VRT have filed complaints with the European Broadcasting Union, the organizer, requesting an investigation into last week's televoting system results.
Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael unexpectedly came in second place after Austria's JJ, who won Eurovision with 436 points with his song 'Wasted Love.'
Raphael, who was at the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel when Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, 2023, earned 357 combined points from the jury and public at the Eurovision final on May 17. Her result included 12 points, each awarded by the televoters in Spain and Belgium, despite the countries' juries giving Israel a score of zero.
The Eurovision televoting system allows viewers to vote up to 20 times for a small fee charged for each vote via text or phone call. Each country's contestant can earn a maximum of 12 points from either a jury or the public vote. To ensure fairness, contestants do not receive points from their own countries.
Katia Segers, a Flemish parliamentarian, said: 'A system in which everyone can cast up to 20 votes is a system that encourages manipulation.
'Whether this manipulation occurred in our country and all other participating and non-participating countries must be investigated.'
She added: 'The VRT must take the lead in requesting this investigation, and in holding the debate on the televoting system within the EBU, and on Israel's participation.'
It was Israel's second year participating in Eurovision while its military forces continue ongoing attacks in the Gaza Strip, which have killed over 52,000 Palestinians since October 2023.
More than 70 former Eurovision participants earlier this month accused Israel's public broadcaster KAN of being 'complicit in Israel's genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza' and demanded the exclusion of Tel Aviv from the European contest.
Last week's final performance by Raphael in Basel, Switzerland, was disrupted by pro-Palestine protesters who attempted to storm the stage. The winner, Austria, will host the 2026 edition.
RTVE's coverage of the event displayed for 16 seconds a black screen with white lettering in Spanish and English that read: 'When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and Justice for Palestine.'
The message was perceived as a stance against Israel's participation. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday called for Israel to be treated the same way as Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and to be banned from future contests.
Managing Director of Eurovision Martin Green confirmed that the organization was taking Spain and Belgium's complaint 'seriously.'
He said: 'It is important to emphasize that the voting operation for the Eurovision Song Contest is the most advanced in the world and each country's result is checked and verified by a huge team of people to exclude any suspicious or irregular voting patterns.
'An independent compliance monitor reviews both jury and public vote data to ensure we have a valid result. We remain in constant contact with all participating broadcasters of the Eurovision Song Contest and take their concerns seriously.'
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